Largest minority in India facing 'unprecedented threats': Mehbooba Mufti on Constitution Day

Srinagar, Nov 26: Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former chief minister of the erstwhile state Mehbooba Mufti Tuesday said that the largest minority in the country is facing unprecedented threats.

Referring to Muslims, Mufti said, their dignity, lives, livelihoods, and places of worship are under attack, contradicting the Constitution's guarantee of equal rights and dignity for every citizen, regardless of their background.

Constitution Day is celebrated annually on November 26, that commemorates the day in 1949 when the Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution of India.

Today, as we celebrate Constitution Day, it is disheartening to see the largest minority in our country facing unprecedented threats. Their dignity , lives, livelihoods, and places of worship are under attack, contradicting the Constitution's guarantee of equal rights and…

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) November 26, 2024

Mufti, who took to her official X-handle, cited the recent suppression of Muslims in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh saying, the situation there is a reminder of "this harsh reality."

Four Muslims were killed after they protested the government's move to survey the grand mosque there to "check if there had been a Hindu worshipping place underneath the mosque."

The situation in Uttar Pradesh is on boil as per latest reports.

This trend of searching for temples under mosques continues despite clear directions from India's apex court to maintain the status quo on all religious places, as they existed in 1947, Mufti said.

"The erosion of constitutional values and the rule of law is extremely concerning and unless we who believe in the idea of India rise up to defend these values, our nation risks losing its unique identity and becoming indistinguishable from its neighbors," Mufti wrote.