The district administration on Sunday carried out a demolition drive against a nearly 50-year-old illegal dargah (mazaar) in Deoria.
The action was undertaken using three bulldozers and continued for over five hours in the Sadar Kotwali area near the Gorakhpur Road overbridge.
During the operation, the main gate, boundary wall, and three shops located within the mazaar compound were demolished. Officials later began dismantling the dome of the mazaar, after which the basement was scheduled to be demolished.
The Nagar Palika had earlier issued a notice regarding the demolition. Around 12 noon on Sunday, a municipal team reached the site along with nearly 300 police personnel to prevent any law and order situation. The area was first evacuated and barricaded before the demolition work began.
SDM Shruti Sharma, Sadar Kotwal Vinod Singh, and other senior administrative and police officials were present on the spot during the operation.
The Abdul Shah Gani Dargah is located adjacent to the Gorakhpur Road overbridge. Complaints against the illegal construction were first filed in 2019, following which the matter remained pending due to administrative and judicial processes. After completing the required procedures, the municipal body initiated demolition action.
According to administrative officials, the dargah was constructed on government and agricultural land, where religious or any other type of construction is not permitted. A preliminary investigation found the structure to be completely illegal, forming the basis for the demolition.
Manuddin Ansari, who is associated with the dargah, stated that the administration clearly warned that if belongings were not removed, they would be forcibly cleared. “We are weak and belong to a minority community. We had no option but to comply with the administration’s orders. Early in the morning, we started removing our belongings ourselves,” he said.
He further added that the Collector, SDM, and Kotwal all conveyed the same message, leaving them with no alternative but to vacate the premises.
However, resentment has been expressed by people associated with the dargah over the removal of items. Manuddin Ansari claimed that around midnight on Saturday, he received a call from the administration instructing him to clear all belongings from the dargah premises by Sunday noon, failing which forceful action would be taken.
Heavy police deployment remained in place throughout the operation to maintain peace and order in the area.