Authorities in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki demolished a century-old mosque and threw the debris into a river, in defiance of the Allahabad High Court order that it should be protected from any eviction or demolition until May 31.
The Uttar Pradesh Central Waqf Board has termed the demolition, “misuse of power” and said it was done without any intimation to the Board, which is the mosque’s guardian. The Board said it will move the Allahabad High Court seeking restoration of the mosque.
The location of the mosque, in the city of Ram Sanehi Ghat was contested by the local administration, which on 15 March issued a “show cause” notice to the mosque committee, asking them to produce documentary evidence for the ownership of the land, UK-based newspaper The Guardian reported. The mosque committee responded to the notice, and sent documents, including proof of an electricity connection from 1959, to the authorities demonstrating that the building was not illegally constructed.
However, on Monday, police and other paramilitary personnel arrived in the area and after clearing it of people, brought down the mosque by bulldozers. The Guardian reported that after destroying, the mosque’s debris was thrown into a river.
The authorities put a barricade around the mosque stopping worshippers from entering it for prayers. Muslims who staged a demonstration against the move were arrested and put in jail.
The Guardian quoted a local imam, Maulana Abdul Mustafa, who is on the mosque committee, as saying that the mosque was “hundreds of years old” and that “thousands of people have been coming here five times a day to offer namaz [prayer]”.
“All Muslims were scared, so no one went near the mosque or dared to protest when the mosque was being demolished. Even today, several dozen people are leaving their homes and hiding in other areas out of the fear of the police.”
Adarsh Singh, a district magistrate, said: “I do not know any mosque. I know there was an illegal structure. The Uttar Pradesh high court declared it illegal. That’s why the regional senior district magistrate took action. I will not say anything else.”
“This act is against law, misuse of power and utter violation of the clear orders dated 24.4.2021 passed by the Honourable High Court. The UP Sunni Central Waqf Board will immediately approach the Honourable High Court and demanding restoration of the mosque, high-level judicial enquiry and action against the guilty officials,” Zufar Farooqui, chairman of the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board, said in the release.
He condemned the “illegal” action by the “Tehsil and District Administration”.
