The action followed complaints from villagers, after which lekhpal Sparsh Gupta moved the tehsildar court on Jan 18.
Meerut: An eidgah and an imambara were demolished by the administration during an anti-encroachment drive at Bicholi village in Sambhal district on Thursday morning, with officials claiming the structures stood on govt land.
Four bulldozers were pressed into service as the demolition began around 8am and continued till 2.30pm. A heavy police force, along with a PAC company, was deployed to prevent law and order issues. Officials said the eidgah had been constructed on nearly seven bighas of designated grazing land, while the imambara stood on land earmarked for a manure pit. The action followed complaints from villagers, after which lekhpal Sparsh Gupta moved the tehsildar court on Jan 18. District magistrate Rajendra Pensia said a public notice was issued on Jan 31 through newspapers, asking encroachers to present their claims. “No objections were received. The encroachment was around 12 years old and the land — estimated to be worth about Rs 6.5 crore — will now be reclaimed for public use,” he said. The DM said that the cost of demolition would be recovered from those responsible.Tensions briefly flared as villagers gathered at the site amid fears of protest, but the crowd was dispersed by police.
Some residents alleged that authorities did not give them sufficient time to remove the structures. “We were informed late at night that the demolition would take place in the morning. People had started removing parts of the structure themselves, but were stopped when officials arrived,” said a villager, Mohd Zuber.
