- Two bulldozers demolished a madrasa on government land in Sambhal Uttar Pradesh
- The madrasa was on land designated for a road and compost pits
- Earlier actions targeted illegal mosques and madrasa structures in multiple villages
Two bulldozers went to work on a madrasa built on government land in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal today.
The action came after the administration served notice to the madrasa. The building stood on land earmarked for a road and compost pits, sources said.
Visuals showed the bulldozers tearing down the walls of the illegal building. The debris kicked up dust as they hit the ground, obscuring the area from view briefly.
A large number of police personnel accompanied the district officials during the demolition drive.
In recent months, Sambhal has seen a major administrative crackdown combining late-night action against power theft and decisive steps against illegal encroachments on government land.
District and police officials launched bulldozer action against unauthorized mosques and a madrasa in multiple villages in January. In some cases, locals themselves dismantled illegal structures ahead of official action, highlighting the administration's intensified enforcement drive.
Residents of Salempur Salar village in Sambhal district had dismantled an illegally constructed mosque on their own, even before the district administration could begin official demolition. The mosque had been built without permission on land registered as gram samaj property, measuring approximately 439 square metres.
On the intervening night of January 3 and 4, members of the Muslim community began removing the structure themselves, apparently to avoid heavy losses from bulldozer action.
Sambhal tehsildar Dhirendra Pratap said that although the demolition drive was scheduled to begin at 10 am, villagers and mosque committee members arranged a private bulldozer and demolished the structure before the administration arrived.
