Ajay Kumar
Lucknow : In Uttar Pradesh, grabbing land or constructing religious structures had once become a common practice, but ever since the Yogi government tightened the reins, land mafia and those encroaching on government land under the guise of religion have begun voluntarily relinquishing their illegal possessions. A similar scene unfolded in Tilmas village, under the jurisdiction of Mirganj police station in Bareilly, where, following a complaint that a mosque had been built on pond land, the illegal construction of the mosque was demolished by the community members themselves.
Earlier, a revenue team had conducted a site inspection and found that a portion of the mosque was located on government pond land. Consequently, police were deployed in the village as a precaution. It is reported that to resolve the dispute, half a dozen members of the Muslim community approached the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and, after discussions and understanding the administration’s intentions, agreed to voluntarily demolish the additional part of the mosque built on the pond.
According to information, a post on social media highlighted that the rear portion of the mosque in Tilmas village, Mirganj, was constructed on government pond land. This led the Tehsil administration to investigate, with SDM Tripti Gupta, Tehsildar Vishal Kumar Sharma, CO Anjani Kumar Tiwari, and SHO Siddharth Singh Tomar inspecting the site with the revenue team. During this investigation, it was found that the construction of a roof supported by pillars in the pond was improper, and a report was submitted to the District Magistrate. This caused unease among the Muslim community, following which, under pressure from the administration’s strictness and fear of action, the community began demolishing the illegal portion of the mosque themselves. For the past two days, the Muslim community has been voluntarily removing the illegal portion of the mosque.
Meanwhile, some villagers stated that the mosque in Tilmas village was built by the landlords, and its rear wall was adjacent to the pond. Worshippers used to perform ablution in the pond, and stairs were constructed leading into the water. Due to the water’s effect, the rear wall had weakened over time, prompting the construction of pillars and a roof over a part of the pond to ensure the safety of worshippers. “Since there’s a complaint, we are ready to remove it ourselves,” they said.
