Prayer space in Malad's Inorbit Mall demolished after Hindutva groups' protest and online campaign

A space for Muslim prayer inside Inorbit Mall in Malad, Mumbai, has reportedly been demolished. The move followed protests by Hindutva groups and an online campaign targeting the facility.

The matter began with a video that went viral on social media. In it, two girls wearing hijabs gave a tour of the prayer room. The video showed the whole space and encouraged people to offer the daily prayers regularly. There were reportedly separate sections for men and women, and a designated area for performing wudu before namaz.

Right-wing individuals and organisations expressed anger after watching the video. They asked why there was a separate space for namaz inside a shopping mall. On October 30, the Hindutva organisation Sakal Hindu Samaj shared the video on the social media platform X and asked why a separate prayer space had been provided in a mall frequented by people of different faiths.

The organisation asked whether Mumbai was "on the way to becoming Pakistan". It alleged that a mosque-like space had been created inside the mall. The group also asked whether people of other religious communities would be allowed to practise their faith in shopping centres. Members of the organisation then held a protest demanding that the prayer room be removed.

On October 31, Sakal Hindu Samaj shared another video. The organisation claimed it showed the condition of the prayer room before and after its removal. The footage showed broken floor tiles and damaged parts of the fittings. In its social media post, the organisation claimed the structure was pulled down after protests by members of the Hindu community.

The online campaign and the protests that followed had brought the facility under scrutiny.