The Uttar Pradesh government launched a bulldozer action on Sunday, February 9, against a mosque in the Kata area of Kushinagar district. The demolition followed allegations by Hindutva workers that the mosque had been built on encroached government land.
The action came after the expiration of a high court stay order on February 8. Authorities had previously instructed the mosque committee to provide relevant ownership documents, but they failed to do so.
As a result, a heavy police presence, including Kushinagar SP Santosh Mishra, DSP Kasya Kundan Singh, and personnel from multiple police stations and BSF forces, was deployed in the area to oversee the demolition. Five bulldozers were brought in to raze the structure.
The controversy began on December 18, 2024, when local Hindutva workers filed a complaint on the Uttar Pradesh chief minister’s portal, alleging that the mosque was constructed on encroached land.
In response, representatives of the mosque committee claimed that the Muslim community had purchased 0.32 acres of land nearly 15 years ago for the construction.
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Following the complaint, district officials conducted a survey, concluding that a portion of the mosque stood on government land. Authorities then asked the Madni Mosque committee to present an original copy of the approved property map. However, municipal record officials were unable to locate the map.
The mosque committee was also unable to produce the document, raising further concerns about the legitimacy of the land claim.
As a result, three individuals from the mosque committee were booked on charges of forging documents to claim government land as mosque property.
The Madni Mosque had been an integral part of the local Muslim community for over two decades. It served as a major Islamic teaching center and functioned as a zonal office for the Tablighi Jamaat in eastern Uttar Pradesh. The mosque had played a significant role in religious education and community gatherings.
The demolition has sparked tensions, with the Muslim community expressing distress over the loss of a longstanding religious institution.
Meanwhile, the authorities have justified the action as a necessary step against land encroachment. The heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces in the area indicates the administration’s anticipation of potential unrest.
This incident is the latest in a series of demolitions carried out in Uttar Pradesh under the government’s intensified crackdown on alleged illegal structures, often targeting minority religious institutions.
The event has reignited debates over property rights, religious freedom, and the use of bulldozer justice in the state.
-Muslim Mirror
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