By Team Clarion

UNNAO — A madrasa in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district was demolished by the district administration on Sunday after officials claimed that the structure was built illegally on government land reserved for a playground. The action came a day after people belonging to Bajrang Dal staged a protest demanding its demolition.

The operation took place in Isuniya village under the Makhi police station area, where officials from the district administration and police arrived with heavy security arrangements and began clearing the structure using bulldozers and excavators.

According to officials, the madrasa was operating on approximately 0.835 hectares of government land recorded in revenue documents as land reserved for sports and playground activities. The administration said the matter had been under consideration since 2018 and had gone through legal proceedings before the demolition was carried out.

Sadar Sub-Divisional Magistrate Kshitij Dwivedi said that the court had recently ordered the land to be freed from encroachment.

“The land is recorded in government records as a playground. Following the court’s order, a notice was issued to the madrasa management on June 3, asking them to remove the structure voluntarily,” he said.

Officials stated that when the management failed to remove the building within the stipulated period, the administration proceeded with the demolition.

The action came a day after Bajrang Dal workers held a protest in the village, alleging that the madrasa had been built illegally and demanding immediate administrative intervention. Protesters submitted memorandums to officials and called for the structure to be removed.

On Sunday, police personnel were deployed in large numbers around the site to prevent any disturbance during the operation. Authorities said the demolition was completed peacefully under official supervision.

The incident has once again drawn attention to the use of bulldozers in Uttar Pradesh, where several religious structures, homes and establishments belonging to members of minority communities have faced demolition drives in recent years. Civil rights groups and opposition parties have repeatedly argued that such actions should strictly follow legal procedures and should not create the impression of selective enforcement.

This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full storyhere.