ISLAMABAD: Disturbing scenes emerged from Matiala in India’s capital, New Delhi, where a group of anti-social elements mobilized a crowd and raised hate-filled slogans targeting Muslims during a protest against a mosque being constructed on legally purchased private land.
Videos circulating online show members of the mob chanting abusive and inflammatory slogans, including language directly aimed at Indian Muslims.
During the protest, the mosque was publicly declared “illegal” without any legal basis, while communal hatred was openly fueled, with references to Bangladesh used as a pretext to stoke tensions.
The incident has raised serious concerns about public order and the erosion of constitutional values in the nation’s capital.
An X user, Shekhar Gupta, highlighted the incident on social media, questioning the lack of police action.
"Disturbing scenes in Matiala, Delhi, mob disrupting mosque construction on legally purchased land, using hate-filled language against Muslims. Why the silence?" Gupta wrote on X, tagging the Delhi Police.
Rights groups have echoed the concern, warning that abusive slogans and online hate speech linked to the incident amount to incitement and threaten communal harmony. In a post, advocacy group JEM India urged authorities to act swiftly.
“Vile anti-Muslim slogans & slurs in replies to this post incite enmity in Matiala—enforce BNSS/IT Act now! Safeguard our mosque & peace. Reporting,” the group said, tagging multiple institutions including the Delhi Police, the National Human Rights Commission and the Indian home ministry.
The incident has reignited debate over law enforcement’s role in preventing hate-driven mobilizations in the national capital.
So far, the Delhi Police have not issued a public statement addressing the incident or the allegations of inaction.
