By Simra Ansari
An under-construction mosque was demolished by the Zila Panchayat administration on 29 May in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur. The mosque was located in Bhojpur village of Nakur block. Construction had been on hold for the past month.
Following the demolition, local Muslims expressed anger, claiming that the authorities had taken down the mosque without any prior notice. Congress MP from Saharanpur, Imran Masood, stated that the SDM had not issued any notice before demolishing the mosque. He further mentioned that the Religious Endowments Act of 1863 does not contain any clause requiring permission for constructing a religious structure.
Wajid Ali, former Pradhan of the Bhojpur Gram Panchayat, told Maktoob that the SHO had earlier halted the construction, citing a lack of map approval and other formalities.
Subsequently, the villagers approached the Zila Panchayat Chairman for approval, but he declined, stating that he was not authorised to handle such matters and advised them to approach the District Magistrate (DM).
In February 2025, the locals submitted an application to the DM’s office but received no official response. However, the DM verbally directed them to speak to the Apar Mukhya Adhikari (AMA) in the Zila Panchayat.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.
