The state administration has sealed 15 mosques in Itanagar, the capital of India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, over allegations that they were built without permission from the proper authorities. The mosques were sealed on Thursday. According to the Indian outlet NDTV, an organisation called the Arunachal Pradesh Indigenous Youth Organisation (APIYO) had launched a wide campaign against the mosques, built without permission. APIYO alleged that a section of Muslims was trying to change the local demographic balance by setting up these “illegal” mosques.
The APIYO recently called a continuous strike in the capital, Itanagar, over the issue, and threatened that if the administration did not act soon, it would launch a larger mass movement — after which the state administration sealed the mosques on Thursday. State government spokesperson and Education Minister P D Sona said the matter was first brought to the government’s attention in January 2026, at a meeting between APIYO representatives and the state’s Chief Minister Pema Khandu. After the meeting, the government directed district authorities to identify structures built without the necessary permission, and a subsequent government survey identified 15 unauthorised mosques in Itanagar.
He said the capital authorities had earlier completed the legal process to seal or vacate 12 of the identified structures. The remaining three mosques were reviewed at another meeting between the chief minister and APIYO leaders on 1 June, after which it was decided to seal them as well. P D Sona said the concerns over which APIYO had called the strike had been resolved through lawful administrative steps. “We hope that in future the APIYO will reconsider its decision before calling a strike on issues of public interest,” he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report