Delhi: For years, residents of Mahagun Maple in Noida’s Sector 50 gathered in the common courtyard to celebrate festivals. This year, however, the same space has turned into a theatre of ideological warfare over whether an idol should stay or go. Residents are split into camps, a heated debate has started on X and Instagram, and there are calls to sack a government official who intervened.
The fight has reopened a familiar divide in Noida: religious rights versus forced religiosity, and ‘hurt sentiments’ versus rules governing the use of common spaces.
It all began with the celebration of Kartik Purnima, a Hindu festival observed on the full moon day in October-November. However, this time, the idol was not removed after the festival and was kept under a yellow awning. A section of residents objected to its presence in the common area and to a proposal to construct a permanent temple at the same spot.
The in-house bickering over the mandir turned into an uproar when Naib Tehsildar Pragya Sharma arrived at the complex to settle the matter. In a now widely circulated video, she is seen addressing a crowd of irate residents.
“The idol cannot be kept here,” Sharma is heard shouting in exasperation. “It will only be installed after proper permission. This is a democracy. If something is done with due consent and no one has a problem, it is fine. But even if a single person objects, you have to follow the rules and regulations.”
The video has drawn polarised reactions. One comment on Instagram reads, “Why are we opposing a Hindu temple?” Another argued: “Baat sahi hai, galat nahi hai — sabki sehmati zaruri hai”— It’s right, everyone’s consent is necessary.
ThePrint contacted Pragya Sharma, but she refused to comment on the issue.
The incident comes close on the heels of a similar fracas at Gulshan Vivante in Noida’s Sector 137 earlier this month. In a video of the incident, a resident is seen objecting to a Mahashivratri pooja being held inside the premises.
“Who has asked you to conduct this here?” she is heard asking a priest. When he responds that they were called by the society, she retorts: “Nobody has given you the right to organise such events here. This is encroachment.”
In that case, too, digital vitriol followed. Comments on the Instagram video included calls to “send her to Pakistan or Bangladesh,” though some defended the woman. “Sahi kaha aunty ne,” said one commenter.
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Devotion vs due process
In the viral footage from Mahagun Maple, Sharma maintains that her intervention isn’t about faith but due process.
“Nobody is against the construction of a temple, but it has to be done with the required permissions,” she tells the crowd. This has been enough for calls for her to be sacked.
Wrongly identifying Sharma as an “SDM”, one post on X said she had hurt religious sentiments and “appropriate action” should be taken against her.
Hello @myogiadityanath ji,
Kindly look into the actions of the concerned SDM regarding this matter. Many people feel that her decision has hurt religious sentiments and appears biased.
If a majority of local residents support the construction of the temple, their democratic… https://t.co/aGwhVrPlO9
— JP (@BlrHydBbsr) February 23, 2026
Another bemoaned that even the “triple engine sarkar” in Uttar Pradesh had not stepped in. “SDM has reached the society to demolish the temple.. Never saw these people act so swiftly to demolish illegal mazars,” read the post on X.
However, several residents raised objections to the ‘temple’ well before Sharma’s involvement.
Noida Extension Flat Owners Association (NEFOWA) general secretary KK Jain termed the construction of the temple “illegal.” He said it was coming up in the park where children play and elderly residents walk and enjoy their evenings.
“How can you construct a temple in the park? This is outright illegal. If you want to construct a temple, buy a space which everyone is fine with,” he said.
No new construction can take place within the premises without an RWA general body meeting, according to Jain.
“Normally, in a builder society an area is already allocated for a temple. Any new construction, thereafter, requires a general body meeting to reach common consensus,” he added.
The RWA president, Sudesh Sharma, declined to comment, calling it an internal matter.
The Mahagun Maple society has 227 residents, including a couple of Muslim and Sikh families.
Also Read: Noida has an RWA problem. Office-holders grab power, residents pay the price
Search for an ‘amicable’ solution
A former Navy veteran, resident Bhagwan Singh had initially supported the construction of the temple. But after the administration intervened and the social media controversy escalated, he has taken a step back.
Singh now insists he wants a resolution that works for everyone.
“We support the mandir. But we don’t want to disturb anyone. Every year, Kartik pooja used to take place here,” said the 53-year-old.
When the idol was not removed, Singh and a few others — mostly elderly residents — began stopping by daily to offer prayers for 10 to 15 minutes in the morning and again in the evening.
“We would never even ring the bell, so that no one was disturbed,” he said.
He is now attending resident meetings to find what he calls an “amicable solution” to the temple issue.
The dream of constructing a temple within the society’s premises is still alive. Singh said he and his friends are willing to fund it themselves, just not in the common area.
“We will build a grand temple but with our own money and in an area where nobody has any problem,” he added.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)