Shia cleric presses for a full probe into Saharanpur mosque demolition

On Monday, Shia scholar Maulana Syed Kalbe Jawad Naqvi travelled to Lucknow and sat down with Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak. The purpose? To press for a detailed, no‑holds‑barred investigation into the recent razing of a mosque that sat within the Saharanpur Collectorate compound.

Naqvi, flanked by a small delegation of community leaders, told the minister that any final decision on the matter should wait until every angle had been examined. “We have asked for a thorough investigation and for any further action to be taken only after that,” he said, his tone both urgent and measured.

The demolition itself took place early Saturday, following a series of court orders. A District Judge on September 4 dismissed an appeal lodged by the mosque’s committee and upheld an earlier directive from the City Magistrate that had been issued on July 17. That earlier order not only called for the structure’s removal but also levied a compensation demand of roughly ₹6.41 crore, alleging illegal encroachment on government land.

Authorities have been quick to stress that the demolition was carried out strictly in line with legal instructions. Saharanpur’s Deputy Inspector General of Police, Abhishek Singh, said additional Provincial Armed Constabulary and Rapid Action Force units were deployed around the area to keep the peace. Police also kept a watchful eye on social‑media chatter, hoping to nip rumours in the bud.

The move has not sat well with opposition parties and several Muslim religious figures. Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai labelled the demolition “deeply unfortunate” and announced a fact‑finding team would head to Saharanpur on September 7 to meet officials and assess the ground reality. “The mosque is said to be about a century old, predating the collectorate itself,” Rai added.

Similarly, Lucknow’s Eidgah Imam Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali condemned the act, invoking the Supreme Court’s reaffirmation of the Places of Worship Act. “Despite the Act, this mosque and many others have been demolished. We condemn this in the strongest possible words and appeal to the government to safeguard all religious sites,” he said.

As the controversy unfolds, both legal and political observers are watching closely to see whether the promised probe will bring any new revelations, or whether the demolition will simply become another footnote in the ongoing tussle over religious spaces in India.