Growing Concerns Over Religious Discrimination in India: From a Delhi Burqa Ban to the Demolition of Ujjain’s 200-Year-Old Mosque

Growing Concerns Over Religious Discrimination in India: From a Delhi Burqa Ban to the Demolition of Ujjain’s 200-Year-Old Mosque
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Two recent incidents — one in Delhi and another in Madhya Pradesh — have intensified concerns about the shrinking space for India’s Muslim minority to freely practise their faith.

In the national capital, a Muslim woman named Tabassum was reportedly denied entry into Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital despite holding a valid gate pass, solely because she wore a burqa. The incident, captured on video, shows a female security guard claiming that the hospital had “banned burqas.” Witnesses said that while others entered freely, Tabassum was stopped and told to remove her religious attire if she wished to proceed. The episode has triggered outrage, with human rights activists and civil society groups condemning it as blatant Islamophobia and a violation of constitutional rights.

Community leaders, including Dr. Shabana Khan and Advocate Ayesha Siddiqui, have called for an immediate investigation, while many have urged the Delhi Minority Commission to intervene. “If such discrimination can happen in a government hospital, it sends a dangerous message about religious intolerance in public spaces,” said local leader Mohammad Faizan.

Meanwhile, in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, the Supreme Court upheld the demolition of the 200-year-old Takiya Masjid, rejecting a petition filed by 13 residents who had been offering prayers there for decades. The mosque, registered with the Waqf Board since 1985, was demolished in January 2025 to expand the parking lot of the Mahakal Temple, a major Hindu pilgrimage site.

The petitioners argued that the demolition violated the Places of Worship Act (1991) and Waqf Act (1995), but the court ruled that the acquisition and compensation process had been legally completed. The decision has left the local Muslim community “shattered,” with many calling it an erosion of their spiritual heritage. “No amount of money can replace a mosque where generations prayed,” said community elder Abdul Rahman.

Taken together, these incidents — one targeting a Muslim woman’s right to religious dress, and the other involving the destruction of a centuries-old place of worship — have reignited debate over the state of religious freedom and equality in India. Social commentators warn that such cases reflect a pattern of institutional bias that risks alienating minorities and undermining the country’s secular foundation.