SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Saharanpur: Bricks inscribed with the year 1909 were reportedly discovered at the site of the demolished Saharanpur mosque in Uttar Pradesh, as the local Muslim community expressed grief over the condition in which holy books were left in the debris.
A video by Nous Network from the demolition site inside the Saharanpur Collectorate premises showed bricks bearing the year 1909, raising questions about the mosque’s origin.
The demolition work began on Saturday, September 5, after the City Magistrate’s court declared the mosque illegal and imposed compensation of around Rs 6.41 crore on the occupants over alleged illegal encroachment and misuse of government land.
The mosque had filed an appeal against the order, which the District Judge rejected after hearing both sides and examining evidence. The case stems from a complaint by former Bajrang Dal member Vikas Tyagi, who alleged the mosque was illegally built inside the District Magistrate’s office complex, a government land where confidential administrative work is carried out.
Demolishing at night like thieves: Locals
The local Muslim residents and mosque-goers gathered at the site of the demolished mosque to collect bricks and other relics as tokens to preserve its memory, with some either taking them home or burying them.
The video showed piles of destroyed religious books, with tattered pages, and torn imam’s clothes and prayer mats, dug out from under the rubble. “They should’ve at least given these to us,” a resident said, holding a torn paper from the Quran. “Yeh hamari kalaam paako ki bezati kar rahe hai (They are insulting the Quran).”
He deplored the authorities for not informing the Muslim community before starting demolition works, as many copies of the Quran and other religious items were bulldozed along with the mosque.
“Yeh raat ke andhere me chor ki tarah masjid ko shaheed kar rahe ahai (They are demolishing the mosque under the cover of darkness, like thieves),” he said, questioning what law allows such actions.
On Tuesday, a fresh controversy erupted after an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) team examined a nearly 20-foot-deep well discovered during debris removal at the site. Based on the bricks, construction pattern, and techniques observed at the site, officials estimated that the well could be around 200 to 250 years old.
SOURCE : SIASAT
