Even on Eid day, there was no joy for the Muslims of Kadalpur village in Uttar Pradesh, where a wall of the under construction masjid was demolished only 13 days ago. “Usually, every Muslim in the village would be dressed in their finest, houses would be painted afresh, and sweets would be distributed. This year, there is no festivity. We have only done the bare essentials. Our Eid will only come when the masjid comes up,”Shafiq Khan, pradhan of the village, said.At 9 am, when the Idgahnamaaz was held, the village streets were empty. Nearly 3,500 Muslims here offered Eid prayers at the lone mosque in the village.
“They took down the wall of the masjid that was built with the money we collected over a year-and-a-half. We had hoped that by next year, we would attend the Idgah in the new masjid. Now, the demolished wall keeps reminding us of how distant that dream is,” Mohammad Ismail, a villager, was quoted as saying.