A mosque allegedly constructed illegally on public land was demolished in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district on Thursday amid heavy police deployment, officials said.
The demolition took place in Qutubpur Satta village in the Asmoli area following an order by the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) declaring the construction illegal.
Circle Officer (Asmoli) Aman Singh said police and revenue officials had received complaints from villagers over a month ago that a mosque was being constructed on land meant for public use. A joint inspection subsequently found the construction to be unauthorised, following which the SDM ordered its removal.
Sambhal Tehsildar Dhirendra Pratap Singh said the land, measuring 150 square metres, fell under gata number 57 'ka'. He added that the Waqf Board had informed the authorities that it had not granted permission for any fresh construction on the property.
The tehsildar said the original structure was 15-20 years old, while the new construction had come up two to three months ago. The authorities also found that a new tradition of offering namaz was being established at the site, he said.
Four station house officers, personnel from 10 police stations and a platoon of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) were deployed for the operation.
Police personnel were stationed on rooftops, while drones were used to monitor the area to prevent any untoward incident.
The demolition also figured at a press conference in Lucknow, where AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Azad Samaj Party leader Chandrashekhar Aazad announced the formation of the Samajik Parivartan Morcha (SPM), an alliance for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Asked about the demolition, Aazad said, "Hum lagenge, hum lagenge" (We will fight). He later asserted that the alliance would fight for the protection of land and religious structures. "We will fight for every inch of our land, our mosques and mausoleums. We will increase our strength and this will end such injustice," he said.
Neither Owaisi nor Aazad clarified whether they would visit Sambhal. Owaisi is scheduled to visit Meerut on November 14.
Aazad represents the Nagina Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor district.
(With inputs from PTI)
