LUCKNOW: Proceeding against alleged illegal constructions and continuing the enforcement drive initiated after the murder of Surya Chauhan on Eid day, May 28, the Ghaziabad district administration on Wednesday began demolishing an alleged illegal madrasa in the Masuri area, around 15 km from Khoda, using bulldozers.
According to the administration, the madrasa had been constructed illegally on government land. Earlier, a bulldozer had also reached Khoda, where Surya lived, before officials shifted the operation to the Masuri area.
The action comes a day after the district administration issued notices to three madrasas in Khoda and sealed two of them on Tuesday.
Ghaziabad District Magistrate (DM) Ravinder Kumar Mandar and Police Commissioner J Ravinder Goud visited Khoda with a team of officials and supervised the sealing of the madrasas.
To maintain law and order during the operation, around 850 personnel from the police force and the Rapid Response Force (RRF) have been deployed across the area.
Officials said investigations into illegal constructions and properties are continuing. More than 1,600 people have been verified so far, while authorities are keeping a close watch on suspicious individuals.
“On the directions of the chief minister, those involved in criminal activities should be strictly dealt with, and illegal activities should be verified. On Monday, police initiated ‘Operation Clean Sweep,’ and properties, tenants, and institutional activities are being verified. We found three madrasas not registered with the madrasa board or with the minority department. The operation, initiated from Khoda, will be taken up across Ghaziabad, and all illegal activities will be acted upon,” said DM Ravindra Kumar while speaking to media persons during the sealing drive.
Tuesday’s action came a day after the district administration pasted a notice at the house of Asad, the prime accused in Surya Chauhan’s murder in Khoda. Later, Asad was killed in a police encounter.
“The administration officials came and gave a notice at madrasa and sealed the premises. Currently, we have holidays, and several children from outside cities are residing here… The madrasa was registered in 2000 from Meerut and all documents are in proper order,” said Haji Rafiq Malik, secretary of Madarsa Rehmaniya Arbia Qasim Ul Uloom.
DCP Dhawal Jaiswal, meanwhile, denied that the enforcement activities were directed at any particular community.