The demolition of an illegal mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district has triggered a fresh controversy after police recovered dozens of posters bearing the slogan “I Love Muhammad” and a green flag resembling Pakistan’s national flag from inside the structure. Following the recovery, police registered a case against eight individuals and launched an investigation.
The development comes a day after the district administration demolished the Mustafa Qadri Mosque, claiming it had been illegally constructed on land earmarked as a graveyard. While authorities maintain the action followed due legal process and court orders, Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rahman Barq has termed the demolition illegal and questioned the basis for registering a criminal case over the recovered posters and flag.
According to police, the controversy erupted during the demolition of the Mustafa Qadri Mosque situated in the Nakhasa police station area of Sambhal district.
Additional Superintendent of Police (North) Kuldeep Singh said that officials conducting the demolition recovered 49 posters carrying the slogan “I Love Muhammad” from inside the structure. Along with the posters, authorities also found a green flag that police said resembled the flag of Pakistan.
Following the recovery, police registered a case against eight individuals, including mosque caretaker Zakir.
Speaking about the development, ASP Kuldeep Singh said that a case had been registered under Section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with statements conducive to public mischief, and that further investigation was underway.
Police have not yet disclosed whether additional charges may be added depending on the findings of the probe.
The district administration has maintained that the mosque was an unauthorised structure erected on land designated as a graveyard.
According to officials, revenue authorities had examined the land records and concluded that the mosque stood on approximately 1,200 square metres of cemetery land.
District Magistrate Ankit Khandelwal stated that the demolition was carried out only after all legal procedures were completed and after the mosque committee failed to establish ownership rights over the land.
Khandelwal said that the mosque committee had challenged the eviction order issued by the tehsildar court. However, during appellate proceedings, the committee was unable to furnish documentary evidence supporting its claim over the disputed land.
As a result, the appeal was rejected and the eviction order remained in force, paving the way for the demolition.
Officials have stressed that the action was executed pursuant to orders issued by revenue courts and was not an arbitrary administrative decision.
Given the sensitivity of the issue and the communal implications associated with the demolition of a religious structure, authorities deployed a heavy police force in the area.
Sambhal Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Bishnoi stated that the demolition was carried out only after the completion of the legal process and under strict security arrangements.
Police personnel remained deployed throughout the operation to prevent any law-and-order issues.
The administration has not reported any major incidents of violence or unrest during or after the demolition.
The recovery of the posters and flag, and the subsequent registration of a case, drew strong criticism from Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rahman Barq.
Speaking to reporters at his residence, Barq questioned the legal basis for filing criminal charges against individuals over posters expressing religious devotion.
Barq also accused the administration of creating an atmosphere of fear rather than ensuring public confidence.
Apart from questioning the criminal case, Barq also objected to the demolition of the mosque itself.
The Sambhal MP claimed that the structure was nearly 150 years old and had long-standing legal recognition.
According to him, the mosque had been recorded as Waqf property in the Uttar Pradesh Gazette since 1995 and was listed at serial number 1951.
Barq argued that the structure could not be treated as an illegal encroachment and announced that he would approach the courts against the demolition.
The district administration, however, maintains that the revenue records established the land as a graveyard and that the mosque committee failed to provide sufficient evidence to substantiate its ownership claims during legal proceedings.
With a case now registered against eight individuals, police have begun examining the circumstances surrounding the recovered posters and flag.
Investigators are expected to question the accused, review documentary evidence and determine whether any additional offences are attracted under the law.
