Kairana (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 5 (ANI): Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha MP Iqra Hasan was placed under house arrest at her residence in Kairana before she could visit Saharanpur, as the administration carried out the demolition of the illegal mosque at the District Magistrate's office complex following a court order upholding its removal.
Speaking to ANI, Iqra Hasan said that a large police force was deployed outside her residence overnight and prevented her from leaving for Saharanpur.
"A large police force was deployed at my Kairana residence overnight, and I was placed under house arrest to prevent me from going to Saharanpur. I intended to visit Saharanpur to meet officials regarding the Collectorate mosque issue and to voice the concerns of the people of my constituency, but I was not even allowed to leave my home," Hasan said.
Questioning the administration's decision, the Kairana MP said, "My question to the government and the administration is this: has it now become a crime for an elected MP to meet officials regarding an issue concerning the people of her constituency?"
"In a democracy, public representatives are elected to raise the voice of the people. That voice cannot be suppressed by stopping me," she added.
The development came as demolition work began at the mosque located within the Saharanpur Collectorate complex after the District Judge's court on September 4 dismissed the appeal filed by the mosque committee and upheld the City Magistrate's earlier order.
Saharanpur DIG Abhishek Singh told ANI that the City Magistrate's court had found the structure to have been illegally constructed on government land and that the subsequent appeal had been dismissed.
"In the Saharanpur Collectorate, there was a mosque here which was found to be illegally constructed on government land by the City Magistrate's court. Against this order, the mosque committee went to the first appeal, but their appeal was dismissed. The City Magistrate's order was upheld, and currently, the demolition of this illegal structure is underway," Singh said.
The DIG said additional security forces had been deployed in the district in view of ongoing festivals and the demolition exercise.
"For law and order maintenance, our festivals are also ongoing, for which we have received an extra five companies of PAC and RAF. They have been deployed at strategic points and hotspots," he said.
Singh added that authorities were closely monitoring social media platforms to prevent rumours and said preventive measures had been put in place across sensitive areas.
"All necessary preventive steps that needed to be taken have been implemented, and this action is being carried out while adhering to all legal procedures," the DIG said, adding that the demolition was expected to be completed within one to two hours.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Imran Masood criticised the demolition and claimed that the mosque had existed since before 1911. He alleged that the ownership of the property remained registered in the names of Wahid Khan and Yaqub Khan.
Masood said, "Our people stayed awake all night long. We kept making continuous efforts to contact the officials. Despite providing all the information, the mosque was not merely demolished; the Constitution was torn to shreds there."
He further alleged that the Waqf Board had not been made a party to the proceedings and said the matter would be challenged through legal means.
Earlier, on July 17, the City Magistrate's court had ordered demolition of the structure and imposed compensation of approximately Rs 6.41 crore in connection with alleged encroachment and misuse of government land.
The complaint had been filed by Vikas Tyagi, former provincial coordinator of Bajrang Dal, who alleged that the mosque was constructed within the DM office complex, a sensitive government premises.
The administration had cited concerns related to the security and confidentiality of government operations.
Following the dismissal of the appeal, heavy police and PAC deployment was made at the Collectorate, with authorities closing the gates of the complex as a precautionary measure. (ANI)
SP MP Iqra Hasan placed under house arrest before visit to Saharanpur as administration demolishes illegal mosque at DM office complex
