Moradabad: A mosque allegedly constructed on gram sabha land in a village here was razed by the administration on Wednesday, June 17, officials said.
Police and revenue department teams were present during the demolition exercise in Ber Khera village under the Bhagpatpur police station area. Security was strengthened in the area, and the illegal construction was removed using a bulldozer, Superintendent of Police (Rural) Kunwar Akash Singh said.
According to officials, the land on which the mosque was built was recorded in revenue documents as a “khad ke gaddhe” (manure pit) and was classified as gram sabha land. After verification of land records and ownership status, authorities found the construction unauthorised and initiated action following legal procedures.
The demolition was carried out peacefully under the supervision of administrative officials, and the law and order situation was normal, officials said.
The administration said a drive is being carried out to remove illegal encroachments from government, gram sabha, and public-use lands, and similar action would continue against unauthorised structures.
They appealed to people to obtain necessary permissions and verify land status before any construction on government or public-use land.
Demolitions of religious places
Earlier, a mosque built on government land in Didhauri village under Sadar tehsil in the district was removed on June 6, while a mazar of Hazrat Sultan Shah Baba situated on the Moradabad-Haridwar highway near Kanth Road was removed on June 15 as part of similar encroachment removal exercises.
This comes a day after several religious structures, including a mosque near the Kashi railway station, a madrassa in Ghaziabad, a mazar on Agra’s MG Road, and a mosque along a highway in Bahraich, came under administrative action in separate instances linked to alleged encroachment, redevelopment and public-safety issues.
