A part of the historic Noori Jama Masjid in Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, was demolished on Tuesday, with authorities claiming it was encroaching on the Banda-Fatehpur Road. This action occurred despite the mosque committee approaching the Allahabad High Court seeking relief.
Avinash Tripathi, Additional District Magistrate (ADM) for Finance and Revenue in Fatehpur, explained that the structure in question had been constructed in the last three years and was not part of the original mosque. “The committee has filed some petition in high court, but it is yet to be listed for hearing,” he told The Indian Express. He also clarified that the main building of the mosque remained intact.
The demolition stemmed from a notice issued by the Public Works Department (PWD) in August to 139 entities, including shopkeepers, homeowners, and the mosque committee, asking them to remove encroachments. The PWD stated that the move was necessary to strengthen the road and construct drainage systems.
“The PWD had marked the encroached section of all the buildings. All those served notices removed the encroachments in September,” Tripathi said. He added that the mosque committee had also demolished the encroached parts of shops adjacent to the mosque but did not fulfill its promise to remove the encroached section of the mosque itself.
The demolition was carried out under tight security to maintain law and order. “Adequate police force was there to maintain law and order at the spot,” Tripathi said, adding that the process concluded without any protests.
The mosque committee was unavailable for comment on the incident. The situation remains contentious, with the mosque committee awaiting a court hearing on their petition.