Sunni Waqf Board to move HC over demoliton of 100-yr-old mosque : 100 Ur old Masjid bulldozed in defiance of court order
Lucknow siyasat.net
The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board has condemned the act of the Barabanki district administration for reportedly demolishing ‘a 100-year-old mosque’ situated near Tehsil compound at Ramsnehi Ghat on last Monday.
“I strongly condemn the illegal and highhanded action of the District administration at Ramsnehi Ghat, District Barabanki, particularly that of the Sub Divisional Magistrate, Ramsnehi Ghat, where in they demolished a 100-year old mosque situated near Tehsil compound in the name of alleged removal of encroachment,” said Board Chairman Zufar Faruqui.
He said the Board was going to move Allahabad High Court to seek action the guilty officials. “The act is against law, misuse of power and in utter violation of the clear orders passed by the High Court on March 24, 2021,” he said
A local administration in the of Uttar Pradesh has defied a state high court order and bulldozed a mosque, in one of the most inflammatory actions taken against a Muslim place of worship since the demolition of the Babri Mosque by a mob of Hindu nationalist rioters in 1992.
The mosque, called Masjid Gareeb Nawaz Al Maroof, in the district of Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh, had stood for at least six decades, since the time of British rule, according to documents held by its committee.
On last Monday, police and security services moved into the area and cleared it of people, then brought in bulldozers and demolished the mosque buildings. Debris was then thrown into a river, according to images and local accounts. Security services have been deployed to prevent anyone coming within a mile of where the mosque stood.
The state government of Uttar Pradesh is controlled by the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), which also governs at national level.
The chief minister is a hardline Hindu nationalist called Yogi Adityanath, who is known for his vitriol against Muslims. He has made speeches laced with Islamophobia, referred to Muslims as terrorists, and passed legislation openly discriminatory to Muslims.
A local imam, Maulana Abdul Mustafa, who is on the mosque committee, said the mosque was “hundreds of years old” and that “thousands of people have been coming here five times a day to offer namaz .
“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, Barabanki district magistrate, denied the presence of the mosque. “I do not know any mosque,” he said. “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.
Members of the mosque committee said they had also not been made aware of any court ruling regarding the mosque made on 2 April . Despite the court order to delay all demolitions till the end of May, the administration went ahead with the demolition of the mosque structures on last Monday afternoon.
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