Five Varanasi Mosques Partially Demolished for Road Widening; One Withholds Consent

Five mosques in Varanasi's Dalmandi are partially demolished for a road-widening project, with one mosque withholding consent. Authorities began the demolition after the conclusion of Muharram, with extensive security deployment and restricted media access. The demolition affects six mosques and 181 houses within the project's alignment. The Allahabad High Court ruled that the Places of Worship Act does not restrict such acquisitions for secular public purposes.