Section Of 185-Year-Old Fatehpur Mosque Demolished In UP Over 'Encroachment'

The district administration claimed the demolished portion was an illegal structure that had been built within the last two to three years, citing satellite and historical images as evidence.

Uttar Pradesh authorities demolished a portion of a 185-year-old mosque, citing encroachment on a highway.

Source : ANI

Authorities in Uttar Pradesh demolished a section of a 185-year-old mosque on Tuesday, alleging it encroached on the Banda-Bahraich Highway in Fatehpur district. The development comes a day after the Supreme Court reiterated that the use of bulldozers must comply with the rule of law.

As per NDTV report, the district administration claimed that the demolished portion was an illegal structure that had come up in the last two-three years, citing satellite and historical images as evidence.

The Public Works Department (PWD) stated it issued a notice on August 17, asking the mosque officials to remove the unauthorised parts. The officials were reportedly given a month to comply and initially agreed but later challenged the notice in the high court, according to the PWD.

"About 20 metres of Noori Masjid, which was obstructing the widening of Banda-Bahraich Highway No. 13, was demolished by a bulldozer on Tuesday in the presence of officials and now its debris is being removed," Lalauli police station in-charge Inspector Vrindavan Rai said, the news agency reported PTI.

Noori Masjid Management Committee Argues Claim 

The claim of the PWD was argued by the chief of the Noori Masjid Management Committee, Mohammad Moin Khan, stating, "The Noorie Mosque in Lalauli was built in 1839 and the road here was constructed in 1956, yet the PWD is calling some parts of the mosque illegal."

Avinash Tripathi, the Additional District Magistrate, stated that notices were issued to 139 entities in August, including the management of the mosque, to remove encroachments and other illegal constructions. "Repair work on the road and construction work for a drain have been proposed along the route because of which encroachments have been removed after serving notice," Tripathi said.

He also emphasised that the district administration had already informed the mosque management in the past. "The management earlier removed shops attached to it. Now removal of a portion became inevitable because it was constructed later. The rest of the mosque has not been demolished. It is evident from satellite and historical images that the construction was done two-three years ago. Only the encroached part has been removed," Tripathi said.

In order to maintain law and order, police and Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed in every corner of the area.