New Delhi: Recent comments by Indian Minister Giriraj Singh describing three lakh mosques across India as “illegal” have ignited concerns over potential widespread demolitions targeting Muslim places of worship.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Singh’s remarks followed his support for protests against what he claimed was an illegal mosque in Shimla’s Sanjauli area, intensifying fears of a national agenda to remove Islamic symbols. His praise for demonstrators opposing the Waqf Board, which he accused of illicit land occupation, suggests a push for similar measures across the country. The situation in Shimla escalated to clashes between protesters and police, leading to demands for police verification of Muslims in the area, amid claims of illegal immigration.

The sealing of part of the mosque in Shimla by Himachal Pradesh Ministers Anirudh Singh and Vikramaditya Singh was intended to maintain communal peace, but has scarcely calmed the fears among the Muslim community of further actions against their places of worship.