By Team Clarion
SAMBHAL — Tension has spread across Mohalla Kot in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal after the district administration issued notices to 22 houses and shops, warning of demolition over alleged illegal construction on graveyard land near the historic Shahi Jama Masjid. A total of 48 people, most of them Muslim residents and small traders, have been asked to respond within 15 days or face bulldozer action.
The notices were issued on Friday, days after a revenue team carried out a survey and measurement of land recorded as a graveyard. Officials later declared that 20 houses and shops were allegedly built on graveyard land, prompting formal notices to occupants.
The move has triggered fear and anger among local Muslims, who say families have lived there for decades and accuse the administration of acting in haste. “We are being treated like criminals on our own land. Our elders are buried here, and our homes have existed for years,” said Asim Khan, one of the notice recipients.
According to the notice, failure to submit a reply within the given time will lead to “strict action”, including demolition. Residents say the wording itself has caused panic. “People are not sleeping at night. Women and children are scared that bulldozers will arrive without warning,” said a local shopkeeper who requested anonymity.
The issue has gained further sensitivity after reports that some Hindu organisations expressed anger over photographs of Payal and Mannara of the entertainment industry, who recently visited Muslim religious sites in the area. Muslim leaders allege that such reactions have added pressure on the administration and created an atmosphere where Muslims feel singled out.
“This is not just about land measurement. It feels like our community is being pushed into a corner,” said Mohammad Salman, a resident of Mohalla Kot. “If this was only a technical matter, why the talk of bulldozers before hearing us properly?”
This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.
