Illegal mosque demolished in Saharanpur Collectorate; Imran Masood to approach SC

The Uttar Pradesh administration on Saturday demolished an illegal mosque inside the Saharanpur Collectorate complex after a court rejected the Muslim side’s appeal, prompting Congress MP Imran Masood to announce plans to move the Supreme Court.

A large police force, including the Sub-Divisional Magistrate and City Magistrate, was deployed at the site before a bulldozer began the demolition, officials said. DIG Abhishek Singh told IANS that an illegal construction on government land within the Collectorate premises was being removed following a City Magistrate’s court order, whose first appeal by the masjid committee had been dismissed.

The action has intensified political activity in western Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hasan, who represents Kairana, was placed under house arrest before she could travel to Saharanpur on Saturday morning, with a heavy police contingent outside her residence. Opposition leaders are reportedly under close monitoring as the debate over the demolition widens.

Masood said the issue went beyond the mosque, alleging violations of law and the Constitution. “You cannot prove that the land belongs to you. Based on the Khasra records, you have claimed that this is government collectorate land. But even today, the collectorate land is recorded in the names of Waheed Khan and Yakub Khan, within whose zamindari the mosque was built. It is still registered in their names,” he told IANS. He added that the mosque is registered with the Waqf Board, which was not made a party, and argued that “Waqf by User” establishes it as a mosque, citing continuous prayers and related activities.

“That mosque has been there for the last 70 to 80 years. You had passed an order, and then the District Court passed its order within just one month. The appeal was heard and rejected. You neither listened to us nor gave us time. It is our fundamental right to raise this issue before a higher court, but you did not give us any time,” Masood said. “We had 22 years left. You did not give us any time and demolished the mosque. You did not demolish the mosque, but the Constitution… We will take this matter to the Supreme Court. We will fight for our rights and do everything possible. We will approach the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court as well,” he added.

The dispute dates to last month, when the City Magistrate reportedly declared the mosque illegal and ordered its demolition. The Muslim side challenged the order before the District and Sessions Court, which initially granted a stay but rejected the plea on Friday, after which the administration proceeded with Saturday’s demolition.

Following the action, the mosque gate was locked and movement within the Collectorate premises was restricted as a security measure. Police were deployed around the complex, and entry into the mosque premises was barred. The Collectorate complex was placed under heavy security, with personnel on roads leading to the district headquarters. Senior officials, including the Additional District Force and City Superintendent of Police, were present at the site. Personnel from the Provincial Armed Constabulary and Rapid Reaction Force were also deployed to prevent any untoward incident, with authorities saying maintaining peace and law and order remained their top priority.