New Delhi: Days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah ordered the removal of unauthorised constructions within 15 km of the India-Pakistan border, a Muslim religious site in Malana village of Barmer district was demolished on June 18, triggering sharp political backlash and reigniting fears over the erosion of communal harmony in one of Rajasthan’s most sensitive frontier districts.Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday (June 21) accused the central government of discriminatingly targeting Muslim religious sites, saying the drive is “motivated solely by the objective of creating political polarisation and disrupting the social fabric.” The ongoing ‘anti-encroachment’ drive adds to the centre’s increasingly aggressive stance towards Muslim communities in India’s border regions.The move follows the rollout of the contentious “detect, delete and deport” (3D) policy in West Bengal, under the Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines, heightening administrative pressure and harassing Muslim communities under the guise of detaining ‘illegal immigrants.’ The pointed developments in India’s border regions have renewed opposition allegations of a coordinated campaign by the centre to weaponise border security as a cover for communal persecution.Following Shah’s meeting with district collectors and superintendents of police in Bikaner last month, officials conducted a special survey of districts adjoining the international border and prepared a report identifying unauthorised constructions, reported Indian Express. Shortly after, a Muslim religious site in Malana village was demolished on the premise that it was built on grazing land.The move spurred widespread controversy, drawing criticism from opposition parties on grounds of religious favouritism. In a social media post tagging Shah, Gehlot wrote, “the government has begun identifying and demolishing religious sites belonging to the Muslim community in Rajasthan’s border areas adjoining Pakistan, under the pretext of removing encroachments.” He added that decades-old historical sites were also being targeted as part of this “coercive action.”Gehlot noted that the area has been home to a myriad of religious communities who have been cohabiting the region without any recorded communal tension. Places of worship were interconnected and respected by all members alike, enjoying the same legal status. He claimed that a plethora of mosques in the area had been cared for by Hindu community members for years and the “vocal opposition by local Hindus to this one-sided administrative action is itself a unique example of the deep communal harmony that exists here.”Questioning the demolition, Gehlot said, “The action being carried out in a peaceful border region while specifically targeting one religion, appears to be motivated solely by the objective of creating political polarisation and disrupting the social fabric. This malicious action has generated intense anger among the local population. This sensitive and disturbing act deserves strong condemnation.”Several locals have expressed disapproval over the action. According to Indian Express, Maulvi Hasan Khan, while noting that a madrasa had been operating at the site since 2009, said the institution possessed lease deeds issued by the gram panchayat and the Gadra Road Panchayat Samiti. Khan further stated that only the madrasa, built using a Rs 15-lakh fund set up by then minister Saleh Mohammed, had been constructed using governmental funds, while the religious site had been built using donations collected from the public.Congress leaders Ummedaram Beniwal and Saleh Mohammad also condemned the move. “With the intent to break this unity and brotherhood and to affect social harmony, the central government identified several mosques, shrines, and other buildings and without prior notice, issued backdated orders to demolish them,” Beniwal wrote on X, “…Neither is the administration able to provide any satisfactory response regarding this action, nor is any representative of the government able to give a clear explanation.”Gehlot called for an immediate halt to the drive, demanding an explanation from the ministry. “The Minister of Home Affairs should clarify its position on the matter, as maintaining peace, harmony and security in border areas is also its constitutional responsibility,” he said.