Bulldozers Tear Down 12-Year-Old Mosque in UP’s Sitapur Before Dawn
Authorities demolished the structure in the early hours of Monday, citing illegal construction on government land.
A mosque standing for over a decade in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district was brought down by government bulldozers in the early hours of Monday, March 30, 2026, sparking debate and concern among local residents.
The demolition took place in Nai Gaon Baheti village, under the Lehrpur area, where officials say the mosque had been built on land reserved for a pond and cemetery, belonging to the government.
The operation was led by Additional District Magistrate Nitesh Kumar and kicked off at around 3 in the morning. Three bulldozers and nearly 500 police personnel were deployed alongside senior officials to carry out the action under heavy security. Authorities said the early timing was a practical decision, aimed at avoiding disruption to traffic on a nearby main road. No untoward incident was reported during the operation.
The dispute, according to officials, stretches back several years. The local gram sabha had filed a complaint alleging that the mosque was illegally built on land set aside for a pond and a cemetery. A formal case was registered on December 18, 2025. Following that, a tehsil court ruled on January 6, 2026, declaring the construction illegal and ordering the land to be vacated.
When the deadline passed without compliance, the administration issued a notice under Section 67 of the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code. After the alleged encroachment still was not removed, authorities moved in with the demolition.
Officials maintained that clearing illegal occupations from government land remains a top priority and that the entire process was carried out within the bounds of the law.
However, Maulana Abdul Rahman, associated with the mosque, pushed back on that framing. Without elaborating further, he called the action politically motivated, suggesting there is more to the story than what has officially been presented.
