A dargah on the premises of Wynberg-Allen School in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, was vandalised on Saturday evening by a group of 25-30 people armed with hammers and crowbars. The incident occurred weeks after a viral Facebook video questioned the shrine's legality on forest land. An FIR has been registered against three individuals.
The vandalism of the Dargah of Baba Bulle Shah at Wynberg-Allen School in Mussoorie occurred on Saturday around 6 pm, when a group of 25-30 individuals forcibly entered the shrine armed with hammers and crowbars. Based on a complaint by local resident Akram Khan, police registered an FIR under BNS sections 196(1)(b) for acts prejudicial to harmony between groups and 298 for injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult a religion, naming three people identified from a video of the incident.
The attack followed weeks after a viral Facebook video in which a man claimed the shrine was built on forest land. The video drew significant attention, prompting the Forest Department to issue a notice to the school and the municipal corporation. The dargah stands on private forest land where construction has been banned since 1980. The school stated the shrine has existed for at least 30 years, while the managing committee claimed it is over 100 years old. It is visited by people of all faiths.
Mussoorie DFO Amit Kanwar had indicated that documents regarding the construction would be collected from stakeholders before deciding on any action. On January 23, Lalit Sharma, president of Hindu Raksha Dal's Uttarakhand wing, posted a video stating, “This is Devbhoomi, and Bulle Shah has no place here. It does not matter if it is private property; our concern is for Sanatan. We will go any time on Tuesday to demolish it. We are asking the administration and the school to remove the structure…”
Akram Khan remarked, “Lalit Sharma had shared a video on Facebook, but the law enforcement agencies did not take it seriously. It is their failure that such an incident could not be averted…” School authorities declined to comment. The Forest Department was in the process of gathering records from the municipal body.