People at the site said authorities were urged by residents to stop the driving, but refused to listen.
“When we heard on TV that SC had asked the administration to stop the driving, we rushed to the bulldozers, which were surrounded by police, but they refused to listen to us,” Aanshu said, whose store, attached to the border wall of the mosque, was demolished by the authorities.
“We pleaded with folded hands in front of them, but they paid no attention to us,” he said.
Aanshu’s neighbor, who owned a grocery store near the mosque which was also demolished, was practically in tears.
He tried to keep his cool while talking to national herald, but he was clearly in great anguish. “I have no complaints against any temple, but we should be treated the same,” he said.
“Allah does not discriminate on the basis of religion… we are all one, but by tearing down the door of the mosque, we were shown our place in this country,” said the Muslim man, who appeared in his 50s, who was trying to clean up the rubble at the site.
Her nephew said, “We are hard-working people. We will rebuild the gate and the surrounding wall again, but the trust and the bonds shared between the two communities are now broken and they cannot be repaired or rebuilt.
