By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN/MUSSOORIE, 1 Aug: The district administration on Saturday demolished an unauthorised religious structure referred to as a mosque that had been built allegedly by encroaching the Mussoorie Municipal Council land in the Laxmanpuri-Landour area. The district administration has asserted that the action has been taken strictly in accordance with the law after completion of all the statutory procedures. The demolition however triggered protests by members of the Muslim community, who briefly blocked the National Highway and raised slogans against the State Government. Traffic was affected for some time before the police and administrative officials restored normalcy.
The Muslim protestors claimed that the structure was very old and that the demolition was unjustified. The demolition was carried out below Andakhet in the Landour area in the presence of a heavy police force. Members of the Muslim community opposed the action but were stopped by police well before reaching the site to prevent any breach of law and order.
Joint Magistrate and SDM Mussoorie Rahul Anand said a detailed verification of land records had established that the land neither belonged to the Waqf Board nor to any private individual or the community. He said records of the Revenue Department, Mussoorie Municipal Council, Landour Cantonment Board and the Waqf Board were jointly examined, following which it was conclusively found that the land belonged to the Mussoorie Municipal Council and that the structure had been raised as an encroachment on government land.
Rahul Anand said the administration had also directed the Landour Kabristan Committee to produce valid ownership documents in support of its claim. However, no documentary evidence was submitted. He added that the inspections conducted by the Landour Cantonment Board, the Forest Department and the Waqf Board confirmed that the land did not belong to any of those agencies. The Waqf Board also informed the administration that the property was not registered under its ownership.
The SDM said that the administration had issued three notices to the party concerned, giving sufficient opportunity to remove the unauthorised structure voluntarily. As the notices had not been complied with, the encroachment was removed in accordance with the prescribed legal procedure and under adequate police protection. He emphasised that the action was based entirely on official land records and was carried out only after all legal formalities had been completed.
The officials also maintained that the drive formed part of the administration’s ongoing efforts to remove illegal encroachments from government land and uphold the rule of law. They reiterated that no person or organisation can be permitted to occupy public land without legal authorisation, irrespective of the nature of the structure.
Members of the Muslim community, however, opposed the demolition, claiming that the site had been in their religious and social use for nearly 200 years and that an adjoining graveyard contained the graves of their ancestors. They contended that the demolished structure was not a mosque used for regular prayers but a tin shed where funeral prayers were offered before burial. They also questioned why no action had been initiated for decades if the land was government property and urged the administration to resolve such issues through dialogue.
Following the demolition, protesters gathered on the National Highway and staged a demonstration, resulting in a temporary traffic disruption. Police personnel remained deployed in large numbers throughout the operation and the subsequent protest to maintain law and order. The administration however reiterated that the demolition was undertaken solely on the basis of verified land records and in compliance with the due legal process.
