3 min readJaipurJun 21, 2026 07:24 AM IST
First published on: Jun 21, 2026 at 07:20 AM IST
The demolition of a religious structure in Malana village of Barmer’s Gadra Road area has sparked controversy and drawn the ire of the Opposition amid an ongoing drive to remove illegal constructions within a 15-km radius of the India-Pakistan border.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during a meeting in Bikaner last month with District Collectors and Superintendents of Police on security in border areas, directed authorities to remove illegal encroachments in the border region. Following this, the Barmer administration collected information on areas adjoining the international border and prepared a report.
A special survey has also been initiated in these areas to identify unauthorised constructions and examine funding sources of buildings in sensitive border regions.
As part of this exercise, the administration demolished the structure on June 18, stating that it had been built on grazing land (gochar) and that it was razed in compliance with central government directions. A heavy police force was deployed during the operation.
Congress leader Ashok Gehlot blamed the Centre for the action, alleging that the government was acting with the sole aim of creating tension and polarisation.
Local residents, however, have objected to the demolition. Maulvi Hasam Khan said the religious structure had been constructed around two years ago, while a madrasa had been functioning at the site since 2009.
According to Khan, the land was classified as residential (abadi) when the madrasa was established and fell under the jurisdiction of Jaisindhar Gram Panchayat. Malana was later carved out as a separate Gram Panchayat. He claimed that the institution possessed a lease deed issued by the Gram Panchayat and that the Gadra Road Panchayat Samiti had also granted a lease for the madrasa.
Khan said the then minister, Saleh Mohammad, had sanctioned Rs 15 lakh for the construction of the madrasa building. “Only the madrasa was built using government funds, not the religious structure,” he said. “Donations were collected from the public to construct the religious site. It was built using the hard-earned money of the people.”
The demolition has also drawn political reactions. Gehlot criticised the action in a post on X, saying the districts along the Rajasthan-Pakistan international border have maintained communal harmony since Independence.
Gehlot said Hindu and Muslim places of worship in the region are respected equally by local communities and noted that residents of all faiths had supported the Army and the government during the 1965 and 1971 wars against Pakistan.
“In such a region, it is inappropriate to selectively target mosques and madrasas for action at the behest of the central government solely to incite tension and polarisation,” he wrote.
Gehlot further claimed that many such religious sites predate Independence and alleged that local Hindu communities had also opposed the demolitions and protested against them in several places.
Congress leaders Ummedaram Beniwal and Saleh Mohammad have also condemned the action, saying it is disturbing peace in the area.
Congress leader Ashok Gehlot blamed the Centre for the action, alleging that the government was acting with the sole aim of creating tension and polarisation. 
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