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Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi on Tuesday targeted the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government over the demolition of a mosque in Saharanpur, alleging that the administration is causing distress to Muslims solely to consolidate its vote bank.
Speaking to ANI, Azmi alleged selective enforcement of regulations, claiming that even the Collectorate office and the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's residence lack valid permission documents, contending that authorities are targeting only Muslim properties and structures. "Look at Saharanpur; a mosque that had stood for over a century, dating back to the pre-independence era, was demolished. Today, the Collectorate office is also illegal. Even if you ask for permissions for the UP Chief Minister's house, there are no documents available. So, in this way, only the buildings of Muslims appear as mosques to you. I mean, I feel that this. This is just a spectacle being made out of Muslims. The more trouble they inflict on Muslims, the more their vote bank grows; that is all that is happening, nothing else," said Azmi. Azmi's remarks came after the Saharanpur Collectorate Mosque got demolished on September 5 following a court order upholding its removal. On September 4, the District Judge's court dismissed the mosque committee's appeal against the City Magistrate's July 17 order directing demolition and imposing compensation of around Rs 6.41 crore over alleged encroachment and misuse of government land. Following the incident, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi accused the BJP of "harbouring hatred" for the freedom of religion following the demolition of the Saharanpur mosque in Uttar Pradesh on September 5. "The BJP simply harbours hatred for the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Indian Constitution; that is why mosques have been demolished across the country, in Jaipur and Saharanpur, for instance...", Owaisi told reporters. Meanwhile, the Allahabad High Court on september 11 sought a counter-affidavit from the state government within three weeks on a petition challenging the demolition of a mosque located within the District Collectorate premises. The matter was heard by Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal in his single-judge bench. The petition has been filed by Mohammad Tanveer Ahmed, Mutawalli of the mosque committee, seeking a direction to restrain further action in connection with the mosque demolition case. During the hearing, the court has stayed the recovery of Rs 6.41 crore in damages imposed on the mosque by the City Magistrate, Saharanpur, until further orders. The court also issued notice to respondent no. 2 and directed the state government to file its response within three weeks. The next hearing in the matter has been fixed for October 12. (ANI)
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