The mosque located in the Saharanpur Collectorate premises was demolished

Saharanpur: (Agency) The mosque located in the Saharanpur Collectorate premises of Uttar Pradesh has been demolished by the administration with a bulldozer. After the appeal of the Muslim side was rejected, preparations for the action had started on Friday. During the operation, SDM, City Magistrate and a large number of police personnel were present at the spot. The removal of the mosque in the collectorate premises was done on the order of the district court. As a precautionary measure, the gates of the collectorate were also closed, so that no one from outside could enter. In view of the sensitivity of the matter, security has been increased in the area and a large number of security personnel have been deployed. Vigilance has also been tightened in the surrounding areas. In fact, the entire issue came into the headlines when Bajrang Dal leader Vikas Tyagi complained that the mosque was illegally constructed on the premises of the District Magistrate's office, a highly sensitive and confidential function. They alleged that the premises were being used not only for religious activities, but also for commercial gain. The mosque also had a post office, and rooms were being rented out to outsiders and their rent was collected by the mosque committee. The security and privacy of the District Magistrate's office had also been seriously threatened by the unhindered movement of outsiders day and night.
Considering the seriousness of the matter, the administration filed a case under the PP Act in the Municipal Magistrate's Court on March 24, 2025. Municipal Magistrate Kuldeep Singh in his order dated July 16, 2026, declared the mosque illegal and ordered its demolition along with eviction and a hefty compensation of around Rs 6.5 crore. The Muslim side then challenged the decision in the district court on July 22, 2026. During the hearing in the district court, the arguments and evidence presented by the parties were examined in detail. The court found that the 'Places of Worship Act, 1991' does not apply to the property in question, nor does this law apply to this illegal property in any case. After that, the court ordered the removal of the mosque. After this decision, a large number of police forces were deployed around the mosque from Friday and bulldozers were brought to demolish the mosque this morning. A large number of police personnel are still deployed at the spot. At present, the situation in the city is peaceful and the administration has quietly deployed the police force.
The administration and revenue officials were of the view that the mosque was situated on government land, Khasra No. 539 and the land was registered in the name of Collectorate/Kachhari. The land area was reported to be about 315 square meters. According to officials, the original use of the building there was as a rest house for the pilgrims visiting the Collectorate, a part of which was later used as a mosque.
Tanveer Ahmad, the custodian of the mosque, told the court that it was about 150 years old. On the other hand, in some recent reports, it was said to be more than 70 years old. While supporters of the mosque and Asaduddin Owaisi claimed that the mosque was in existence since 1911 or even earlier. Reference is also made to the Lightning Record of 1911.
It would be more accurate to say that the claims of the parties on the mosque's integrity are different; 1911 has been cited by supporters of the mosque, while land ownership and official records remained the main issue in administrative court proceedings.
According to reports, the matter reached formal legal proceedings in 2025. In March 2025, a revenue official lodged a complaint against the mosque administrator/maulvi Abdul Hameed for alleged unauthorized occupation of government land. Notices were issued in April 2025 and objections were filed by the concerned parties in June. Earlier, Vikas Tyagi, who is said to be the former provincial coordinator of Bajrang Dal, had raised objections to the construction of the mosque and the use of collectorate land. A revenue inquiry was held on his complaint.
On 16 July 2026, City Magistrate Kuldeep Singh's court ordered the mosque to be vacated, declaring it an unauthorized construction on government land. The court also imposed an amount of around Rs 6.41 crore for the alleged long-term unauthorized occupation. The parties were ordered to vacate the premises within 30 days. It was also submitted by the government before the court that some rooms in the mosque premises were allegedly given on rent and rent was also collected from the post office. The mosque party challenged these allegations and the government's claim of ownership of the land.
The mosque committee appealed to the district court against the city magistrate's decision, but on September 2, 2026, the district judge's court dismissed the appeal and upheld the city magistrate's decision.
Samajwadi Party MP from Kairana Iqra Hasan alleged that she was put under house arrest to prevent her from going to Saharanpur. She said that she wanted to go to Saharanpur to talk to the authorities about the issue and convey the voice of the people to the administration. He asked why the action was taken so early and whether there could not have been an opportunity to appeal to higher courts. He also accused the government of acting on political cues.
The Congress criticized the action calling it a "black day" for Saharanpur. Congress MP from Saharanpur, Imran Masood, has also questioned the legality of the proceedings and the notice procedure.
Congress leader Imran Masood also referred to the 'waqf by user' clause. He said that if a land or building has been used as a mosque for a long time, then the related documents and activities like continuous prayers are important to prove its religious status. He claimed that the mosque was in existence for about 70 years and prayers were offered there continuously. At the same time, he said, "If the government claims that the mosque was built on government land, it should prove it based on the available revenue records." He alleged that the mosque was closed at night, the goods kept there were removed and then the structure was demolished overnight. According to him, the area was cordoned off and people were not allowed to leave their homes. The administration also removed the debris immediately. Describing this action as unconstitutional, he said, "They are not demolishing the mosque but they are demolishing the constitution of the country." He also said that the Waqf Board was not properly made a party before the High Court and several important aspects were ignored.