Bareilly: Mohammadganj village in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, has neither a temple nor a mosque due to a pact dating back to a decades-old dispute over religious practices. The village has been known for its delicate communal harmony due to the pact disallowing both Hindu and Muslim families from building religious sites in the village.

However, the dispute around building a madrasa that led to the agreement 30 years ago resurfaced after a group of 12 Muslim men were arrested for offering Friday prayers inside an empty house “without permission.”

According to Maktoob Media, elderly residents of Mohammadganj said the village, known for its peaceful arrangement, was maintaining the precarious balance to avoid disputes. Local residents would instead travel to neighbouring villages to offer prayers at their respective places of worship.

The informal understanding was later made official with a written agreement established on July 15, 1995, which was cited by the complainant who opposed the group of men praying in the empty house.

The document was reportedly signed by members of both communities and further prevented either section from building a temple or a mosque.

The document does not, however, ban prayers inside houses, nor does it bar individuals from performing congregational worship in non-permanent spaces.

The complainant, Tejpal Verma, had argued that the pact forbade anyone from forming a place of worship. “It was clearly decided that neither a mosque nor a temple would be built here,” he said.

He claimed that community members had initially asked for permission to pray during Ramzan, but such prayers continued well after. “I have given a written complaint. We will not allow namaz in the village at any cost,” said Verma.

Speaking to independent journalist Asif Ansari, a 70-year-old Hindu local, Tularam, said, “There is neither a temple nor a mosque; we ourselves go to a nearby village to offer prayers.”

“Neither have they built a mosque nor have we built a temple. They do their puja in their houses and we pray in our homes. When some people leave for foreign countries, we pray in those houses, but the police came and took us to the station. We defended, saying we have been praying for the last 30 years in this village. Although we prayed in this house for the first time, we always seek permission before praying in such homes,” a Muslim resident said.

“We even greet each other during Eid and Holi. This is the first time that the police have taken action against us for praying in the village,” he added.

Another resident of Mohammadganj, Tariqa Khan, said that while they were praying on Friday, members from the other community arrived and began filming them.

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The video of the scene shows several men performing namaz in an empty house, which the police had said was being used for investigation.

Meanwhile, Resham Khan, the owner of the house, also spoke to the reporter, clarifying that she had permitted the residents to pray in the premises.

“People sought my permission for namaz and I allowed it. Despite there being no mosque, this issue is being unnecessarily blown up,” she said.

Her husband, Haseen Khan, had passed away years ago, while her children work outside Uttar Pradesh as labourers.

The 12 men detained on charges of disturbing the peace were produced before the magistrate and released on bail on January 18.

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