Sambhal admin refutes Samajwadi Party leaders’ charge on mosque demolition
With the Opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) hitting out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the demolition of a mosque at a village in Sambhal district, the district administration on Sunday said that the Mustafa Qadri Mosque was built on encroached land. Samajwadi Party MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq, in a post on X, alleged that the mosque was demolished despite “countless efforts, appeals, and legal attempts” by local residents. He accused the administration of targeting the religious place without giving the affected parties an adequate opportunity to be heard.SP MLA from Asmoli constituency in Sambhal, Pinky Yadav, said the demolition was carried out “without any consultation”. She claimed that although she tried to communicate with the district authorities several times, she didn’t get any response. “There could be other methods to tackle the problem apart from demolishing the structure. Will the same procedure be followed in other encroachments of the government property?” Yadav asked. Refuting the SP leaders’ charges, Sambhal District Magistrate Ankit Khandelwal said an appeal against the eviction order was filed before his court, and the parties were given an opportunity to present evidence. “However, no evidence supporting their claim over the land was submitted. Following this, the demolition was carried out,” he added. Sambhal Tehsildar Dhirendra Kumar Singh said a report submitted by the area lekhpal on February 4, 2026, revealed that around 0.012 hectares of the land at Kaserua village, recorded as a graveyard in revenue records, had been encroached upon, and a mosque structure was constructed on it. The report identified Zakir Hussain, the mosque’s mutawalli (caretaker), as the alleged encroacher. Singh said the notices were sent to Hussain, and the hearing was held as per the procedure. “During the proceedings, Zakir Hussain did not file any formal objection. The Tehsildar’s court passed an eviction order on April 21, 2026, and imposed a penalty of Rs 1.12 lakh,” Singh added. Shruti Gupta is an intern at The Indian Express
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