Summary:
- A portion of the 185-year-old Noori Masjid in Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, was demolished for obstructing the widening of the Banda-Bahraich Highway, with authorities claiming it was an illegal extension built recently.
- The mosque management disputes this, asserting the mosque was built in 1839 and predates the road constructed in 1956, and has moved the Allahabad High Court for relief.
- Heavy security was deployed during the demolition to maintain law and order, with shops closed and a large area sealed to prevent tensions.
- The Allahabad High Court is set to hear the petition on December 12, as debates continue over heritage preservation versus infrastructure development.
A portion of the historic 185-year-old Noori Masjid in Lalauli town, Fatehpur district, Uttar Pradesh, was demolished on Tuesday amid heavy security, as part of a road-widening project for the Banda-Bahraich Highway. The action, carried out by local authorities, has sparked controversy, with officials claiming the mosque’s extended structure was an illegal encroachment, while the mosque management disputes this assertion.
According to officials from the Public Works Department (PWD), approximately 20 meters of the mosque was deemed to obstruct the planned widening of State Highway No. 13. Notices were issued to the mosque’s management committee, starting on August 17, 2024, instructing them to remove the encroaching section. However, authorities stated that no action was taken by the committee to comply with these directives. Consequently, a demolition operation was undertaken using bulldozers under tight security measures. Inspector Vrindavan Rai of Lalauli police station confirmed that debris removal is currently underway and emphasized that law and order in the area remains under control.
The demolition exercise turned Lalauli town into a virtual police cantonment, with shops within a 200-meter radius closed and a 300-meter perimeter sealed off. Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were deployed extensively to prevent any potential unrest. These precautions were taken in light of previous incidents of communal tension in similar situations across the state.
The mosque’s management committee has strongly contested the legality of the demolition. Mohammad Moin Khan, also known as Bablu Khan, the mutawalli (chief) of the Noori Masjid Management Committee, stated that the mosque was constructed in 1839, long before the road was built in 1956. He argued that labeling parts of the mosque as illegal is unjustified and revealed that a writ petition challenging the demolition had been filed in the Allahabad High Court. The court is scheduled to hear the case on December 12.
Khan further criticized the timing of the demolition, noting that it occurred despite pending legal proceedings. He remarked that “The Noorie Mosque of Lalauli predates the road here by over a century, yet it is being called an encroachment.” Other members of the mosque committee have similarly condemned the action and expressed dismay at not being allowed to remove items from the affected section before its destruction.
Local authorities defended their decision by citing compliance with Supreme Court guidelines regarding encroachments on public land. According to Fatehpur’s additional district magistrate Avinash Tripathi, adequate notice and time were provided to address the issue before resorting to demolition. The administration also claimed that extensions to the mosque were built within the last two to three years and encroached upon a designated 12-meter roadside zone.
The incident has reignited debates over urban development projects clashing with heritage structures and religious sentiments. While authorities maintain that they acted within legal parameters to facilitate infrastructure development, critics argue that more consideration should have been given to preserving historical and cultural landmarks. The outcome of the Allahabad High Court hearing on December 12 is expected to provide further clarity on this contentious matter.
Source: India Today
