Saharanpur mosque razed in overnight operation, Samajwadi MP claims house arrest

A mosque inside the District Magistrate’s office complex in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur was demolished in an overnight operation, following a City Magistrate’s order that termed the structure an illegal encroachment on government land and imposed a fine of around Rs 6.41 crore on its occupants. Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hasan later claimed she was placed under house arrest at her Kairana residence.Hasan, who represents Kairana Lok Sabha constituency, said a large police force arrived at her residence as she was preparing to leave for Saharanpur to meet officials over the demolition and raise the concerns of people in the area.“To prevent me from going to Saharanpur last night, a large police force was deployed at my Kairana residence and I was placed under house arrest,” Hasan said. Notably, Saharanpur district comes under Kairana.The 32-year-old questioned whether it had become a crime for an elected MP to meet officials on issues concerning people in her constituency. “In a democracy, public representatives are elected to raise the voice of the people. That voice cannot be suppressed by stopping me,” she said. WHY WAS THE MOSQUE DEMOLISHED?The mosque demolition followed a complaint by Vikas Tyagi, a former provincial coordinator of the Bajrang Dal, who alleged that the mosque had been illegally constructed inside the DM office complex in Saharanpur.The complaint also alleged that the premises were being used for commercial purposes, including a post office and rooms rented to outsiders, with the mosque committee collecting rent. After a hearing, City Magistrate Kuldeep Singh ordered the immediate demolition of the structure. The administration said the action was necessary as the encroachment and activities at the site compromised the security and confidentiality of the government office.SAMAJWADI PARTY SLAMS BJP GOVTThe Samajwadi Party alleged that the Yogi Adityanath government had stopped Hasan from travelling to Saharanpur to prevent her from raising the mosque demolition issue."Maintaining harmony is the government's greatest responsibility and also its achievement," SP chief Akhilesh Yadav tweeted on Saturday.The demolition in Saharanpur is part of a wider series of actions in Uttar Pradesh against religious structures that authorities have described as illegal or built on encroached land. Such drives have also faced legal challenges, including over compliance with court-mandated safeguards before demolitions.- Ends(with inputs from Rahul Kumar)Published By: Prateek ChakrabortyPublished On: Sep 5, 2026 10:16 IST