A MOSQUE and a madarasa in Mubarakpur Band village of Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district built on Government land, which was officially recorded as a playground and a site for compost pits, were removed on Friday using bulldozers and JCBs, officials said. The bulldozer operation was carried out in the presence of District Magistrate Rajendra Pensiya and Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar, they said. Naib tehsildar Bablu Kumar said this is classified Government land and the plots are officially recorded as a playground and site for compost pits. Initially, the villagers were asked to remove the mosque and the madarasa themselves.

 

However, as they were unable to dismantle the entire structures on their own, they requested the administration to carry out the removal. Consequently, the illegal encroachment was cleared on Friday using bulldozers and JCBs. “We are currently in the process of establishing a land bank. We are clearing all encroachments across the district,” the naib tehsildar said. All instances of encroachment on Government land across every village have been duly listed, and the process to demolish these illegal structures is currently underway, SP Kumar said.