Saharanpur: Admin orders demolition of illegal mosque in DM office complex, imposes ₹6.41 crore fine

A local court in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district has ordered the demolition of an allegedly illegal mosque situated within the premises of the District Magistrate (DM) office and imposed ₹6.41 crore penalty on the occupants.

According to reports, the order came after a complaint in this regard was lodged Vikas Tyagi, former provincial coordinator of Bajrang Dal.

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As per the complaint, the illegal mosque was build inside the DM office complex, despite the property being a sensitive government zone where confidential administrative work was being carried out.

Apart from the religious purposes, the complainant alleged that the property was even being used for commercial activities.

It has been claimed that a post office was operating from there, while several of the rooms were rented out to outsiders. The mosque committee reportedly collected the rent from the tenants on a monthly basis.

After taking cognisance of the matter, City Magistrate Kuldeep Singh later ordered the structure to be demolished with immediate effect.

Besides this, the court is also believed to have imposed a fine of nearly ₹6.41 crore on its occupants for alleged illegal encroachment as well as misuse of government land.

As per officials, the action was taken since the presence of the structure was affecting the security and confidentiality of operations of the government office complex, reports said.