A mosque inside the collectorate workplace campus in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur that was declared unlawful was demolished on Saturday morning. A big police pressure was deployed throughout the operation.
The executive motion follows a September 2 ruling by an area court docket, which dismissed an enchantment by the mosque administration committee towards the Metropolis Justice of the Peace’s July order declaring the masjid unauthorised and ordering its eviction.
The mutwali (custodian) of the mosque, Tanveer Ahmed, alleged that the motion was carried out with out due course of.
Claiming that the mosque is roughly 150 years outdated, Ahmed mentioned, “Town Justice of the Peace handed an eviction (Bedakhli) order in July, directing that the premises be vacated inside 30 days. We challenged the order earlier than the court docket of the district choose, which dismissed our petition on September 2. There was no order for demolition, but the construction is being demolished at this time.”
Nevertheless, Metropolis Justice of the Peace, Saharanpur, Kuldeep Singh instructed The Indian Categorical that demolition started round 6.45 am in order that the work may very well be accomplished early, including that your complete constructing has now been razed and particles is being cleared.
Explaining why the construction was demolished when the order pertained to eviction, he clarified that his order had directed “Bedakhali”, which he defined as removing of the premises, and that the constructing had accordingly been faraway from the location.
Ahmed additional contended that the interval throughout which the case file remained pending earlier than the civil court docket should be excluded from the computation time, and that the 30-day eviction interval had, subsequently, not but lapsed. He added that the mosque committee intends to strategy the excessive court docket difficult the demolition.
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Abhishek Singh, Saharanpur DIG, mentioned, “There was a mosque right here on the Saharanpur Collectorate. The court docket of town Justice of the Peace discovered it to be illegally constructed on authorities land. The enchantment [against the demolition] of the Mosque Committee was cancelled.”
“We now have taken all preventive steps to keep up regulation and order. We’re following all authorized procedures in taking this motion.”
#WATCH | DIG Saharanpur Abhishek Singh says, “There was a mosque right here at Saharanpur Collectorate. Court docket of Metropolis Justice of the Peace discovered it to be illegally constructed on the Govt land. The enchantment of the Mosque Committee was cancelled. The unlawful building is now being demolished…”
On… https://t.co/XDR1xnqOPB pic.twitter.com/gA1BARZiHM
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) September 5, 2026
Iqra Hasan claims home arrest
Forward of the demolition, Samajwadi Occasion Lok Sabha MP Iqra Hasan was allegedly positioned beneath home arrest at her residence in Kairana to forestall her from touring to Saharanpur, reported information company ANI.
To stem potential unrest, a big contingent of police personnel was stationed outdoors MP Iqra Hasan’s residence in a single day.
#WATCH | Shamli: On the demolition of unlawful mosque in DM workplace advanced (Saharanpur) after court docket upheld the order, SP MP Iqra Hasan says, “After the order from the decrease civil court docket arrived, your complete mosque was sealed off, and barricades have been erected within the neighborhood;… pic.twitter.com/EVc44F9W3u
— ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2026
“A big police pressure was deployed at my Kairana residence in a single day, and I used to be positioned beneath home arrest to forestall me from going to Saharanpur. I meant to go to Saharanpur to fulfill officers relating to the Collectorate mosque situation and to voice the considerations of the individuals of my constituency, however I used to be not even allowed to go away my house,” Hasan was quoted as saying by ANI.
What’s the Saharanpur collectorate workplace mosque dispute?
The mosque was declared an “unauthorised construction” in July, and town Justice of the Peace had ordered eviction in 30 days. The court docket had additionally penalised the the “unlawful occupants” Rs 6.41 crore for the ‘unauthorised occupation’ of the 315-square-metre parcel of presidency land.
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Town Justice of the Peace order said that land data present the land has been listed as Collectorate (authorities) property since 1324 and 1359 Fasli (1952), and even earlier. This proves the land belongs to the UP authorities, so anybody occupying it with out permission is doing so illegally, said town Justice of the Peace in its order.
The order was handed beneath the Uttar Pradesh Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1972.
Earlier, Metropolis Justice of the Peace Singh had instructed The Indian Categorical that proceedings have been initiated after the Income Division performed an inquiry right into a grievance filed by one Vikas Tyagi, who alleged the mosque had been constructed on authorities land inside the Collectorate campus.
In March 2025, a income official (Lekhpal) lodged a grievance towards Abdul Hamid, the alleged supervisor and maulvi of the mosque, alleging unauthorised occupation of presidency property.
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Notices have been issued to the respondents in April 2025 and objections have been filed on June 11 of that yr.
Congress says ‘Black Day’ for Saharanpur
The Opposition slammed the transfer and hit out on the ruling BJP authorities.
Congress MP from Saharanpur Imran Masood described it as a “black day” for the individuals of Saharanpur. He alleged that authorities surrounded individuals from all sides, confined them inside their properties, and demolished the mosque.
He mentioned it was an assault towards the nation’s Structure. “We are going to battle this battle… so far as the Excessive Court docket, the Supreme Court docket, wherever we have to,” he mentioned.
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The MP additional mentioned the mosque predates 1911, and its possession remains to be recorded within the names of Wahid Khan and Yaqub Khan [the zamindars under whom it was built].
He claimed the demolition process was flawed as neither the Waqf nor the Waqf Board was made a celebration to the case, nor was the Limitation Act taken into consideration. He mentioned, “No Hindu shall be pleased with this. No different individual shall be glad when somebody’s place of worship is being demolished.”
Masood additional mentioned that the state authorities has no achievements of its personal to showcase. “The one ‘achievement’ they’ve is that they shot Muslims, shot them within the leg, demolished their properties, bulldozed them, and broke down their madrassas — that’s all they’ve. That is the one oppression they’ll perform. Apart from this, what else have they got?”
Talking to information company PTI, Samajwadi Occasion spokesperson Dharmendra Kumar Singh mentioned, “This can be a authorities that, from the very first day, needs to run away from primary questions and create a story of this sort. There’s a system within the Indian judiciary and the Structure of India. The chance for justice extends by all of the courts, as much as the Supreme Court docket. And as soon as the Supreme Court docket offers a judgment, it’s remaining. So, what must be seen is whether or not they got a chance to enchantment… However this authorities constantly will get orders from the courts and instantly takes motion in such a manner that it creates hatred in society.”
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BSP chief Mayawati wrote on X: “The continuing authorities marketing campaign in your complete state of UP… which day by day declares mosques unlawful in nice haste and proceeds to demolish them, shouldn’t be proper…”
