By Team Clarion

NEW DELHI – A fresh controversy has unfolded in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district after a mosque was demolished and the cleared land was quickly used to lay the foundation of a police outpost, with the presence of BJP leaders and Hindu religious figures at the ceremony. The incident has left the local Muslim community shaken, raising sharp questions about equal treatment, religious freedom and the role of political figures in state-run projects.

The case relates to Achoda Kamboh village, where the administration declared a mosque to be an illegal structure and issued notices for its removal. Soon after the structure was razed, groundwork began for a police outpost at the same site. The foundation-laying ceremony included a havan and Vedic chants, attended by Circle Officer Kuldeep Singh and BJP district president Harendra Singh Rinku, along with saints linked to Shri Kalki Dham.

For many Muslims in the area, the speed of events and the manner in which they unfolded have caused pain and fear. “This was a place of prayer for us,” said a local. “It was not just bricks and walls. Seeing it removed and then a religious ceremony held for the police building on the same land hurts deeply.”

According to the administration, the mosque was built on government land recorded as a khalihaan, or common land, and therefore illegal. Officials said notices were served, giving time to remove the structure. When the deadline passed, the administration moved in with bulldozers.

A senior official claimed the action followed procedure. “Notices were issued and time was given,” an officer said. “The land belongs to the government. After the structure was not removed fully within the period, action was taken as per the rules.”

However, members of the Muslim community contest this account. They say the mosque had existed for years and that the process felt rushed and one-sided. “If it was really illegal, why was it allowed to stand for so long?” asked a local elder. “Why is only a mosque seen as illegal, while many other structures on public land remain untouched?”

This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.