Prayer room at Malad's Inorbit Mall removed after Hindutva groups object

A separate prayer room for Muslims at Inorbit Mall in Malad, Mumbai, has been removed after protests by Hindutva organisations, according to information that has emerged. The controversy began after a video of the facility went viral on social media.

Two girls wearing hijab had shared the video of the space on social media. It described the room and also appealed to people to offer namaz regularly. The room had separate arrangements for men and women, and a separate area for wudu.

Right-wing organisations questioned why a separate facility for namaz had been provided in a public place such as a mall. On October 30, the Sakal Hindu Samaj organisation shared the video on X. It asked whether Mumbai was "moving towards Pakistan?" and alleged that a mosque-like facility had been created in the mall.

The organisation also asked whether people of other religions would be allowed to follow their religious practices in the mall. Its members then held an agitation demanding that the prayer space be removed.

On October 31, Sakal Hindu Samaj shared another video, which it claimed showed scenes from before and after the prayer space was removed. It showed broken floor tiles and some demolished parts of the prayer space. In its post, the organisation claimed the facility was removed after the agitation by members of the Hindu community.