BJP Workers Stop Burial Of Muslim Man In Hindu Locality Over Disputed 'Waqf Land' In Ramnagar, Authorities Intervene (VIDEO)

Nainital: A long-standing land dispute between Hindu and Muslim communities flared up again in the Gaujani area of Ramnagar, Nainital, on Thursday, May 29, after members of the Muslim community began digging a grave on a plot of land allegedly outside the designated cemetery.

The act quickly drew the ire of local Hindu residents and BJP workers, triggering a standoff that forced the district administration to step in with heavy police reinforcements.

According to a report by ETV Bharat, members of a Muslim family had started preparing the grave when BJP workers arrived and objected, claiming the burial was being attempted on land not demarcated for cemetery use. “This place does not fall within the authorised boundary of the cemetery,” BJP leader Madan Joshi told the outlet, stating that the approved burial site was located around 200 metres away.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate Pramod Kumar reached the site with a heavy police presence to control the situation. “There was a dispute regarding the burial of the dead body. Talks were held with both the parties. Efforts were made to keep the atmosphere calm. No party would be allowed to take any action without permission,” Kumar told ETV Bharat.

Have a look at the viral clip here:

On May 29, in Goujani, Ramnagar, Nainital, Uttarakhand, BJP leader Madan Joshi led a group of people to prevent the burial of a Muslim man’s body. While the Muslim community asserted that the land was part of their graveyard, Joshi claimed it was not and objected to the burial pic.twitter.com/xDQexuoMt5

— Mohd Shahnawaz Hussain (@Mohd_S_Hussain) May 29, 2025

As tensions escalated, some Muslim youths reportedly sat in the pit that had already been dug, refusing to move and demanding burial at the contested site. Eventually, they were removed by the police. The administration ordered the burial to take place at the older, approved cemetery, and the previously dug grave near the Hindu residential area was filled back in.

Dainik Jagran reported that the land in question has been disputed since 1994 and was subject to a mutual understanding that burials would occur only at the designated site. Joshi further alleged that “the matter is being blown out of proportion through the Waqf Board,” and claimed the land originally belonged to a Hindu family now without heirs.

For now, the district has deployed both police and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) to maintain calm, while revenue officials are expected to investigate land records to demarcate boundaries.

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