LUCKNOW: A portion of a mosque in UP’s Kushinagar district, about 325 km from Lucknow, allegedly built on ‘encroached’ land, was demolished by bulldozers in presence of security personnel and senior officials on Sunday.
Ram Bachan Singh, an activist, had complained on the CM’s portal that the Madni Masjid was built after encroaching government land and demanded a survey. Later, the mosque management moved the Allahabad high court, which granted a stay on the encroached portion of the mosque. The stay was till Saturday.
The mosque’s caretaker said Muslim community had purchased 32 decimals of land around 15 years ago to construct the mosque. He claimed there was no encroachment and the mosque stood on 30-decimal land.
The first complaint against the illegal construction was filed in 1999 by Ram Bachchan Singh, but no action was taken. The case resurfaced in December 2023 when an official inquiry was launched. Following a probe, the municipal administration issued three notices to the mosque committee on December 23, asking for legal documentation, but no valid papers were submitted. Consequently, a part of the structure was declared unauthorised.
The mosque committee challenged the demolition in the high court and secured a stay order until February 8. With the order expiring on February 9, the authorities promptly initiated the demolition drive.