Saharanpur, September 7, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
An Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) team reached Saharanpur on Monday to inspect a well discovered beneath the debris of a demolished mosque, as political activity intensified in the Uttar Pradesh district and opposition leaders alleged restrictions on their movement.
Preparations were made at the Saharanpur Collectorate for the inspection. CCTV cameras were installed around the mosque premises, while a ladder was brought to facilitate the officials’ descent into the well. Measuring tape was also arranged to assess its dimensions.
The City Magistrate who had passed the order concerning the mosque was present with the ASI team during the inspection.
Samajwadi Party (SP) MLC Lal Bihari Yadav said wells had historically been common sources of water used by people from different communities.
“People of our generation should be asked whether there were taps when we were children. Every household would have a well, and people would draw water from it and drink. Did only one community drink water from those wells? People from all communities drank water from the same wells,” Yadav told reporters.
Meanwhile, SP MP Iqra Hasan reached the area and alleged that opposition leaders had faced police restrictions since Sunday.
“Our delegation consisted of many people. Twenty-three people were supposed to come, but the police force stopped most of them, so only a few could reach here. This is a very painful and shameful incident, which was carried out by the authorities here without giving it proper thought,” Hasan told IANS.
She alleged that police had been following opposition leaders and had been deployed outside their homes. Hasan further claimed that elected representatives were placed under house arrest while the mosque was sealed and subsequently demolished.
The SP delegation was placed under house arrest at the Circuit House amid heavy police deployment. SP leaders also expressed anger over the absence of the Commissioner. SP MP from Muzaffarnagar Harendra Malik reached the Commissioner’s office in Saharanpur amid the developments.
The political fallout also reached Lucknow, where Congress state president Ajay Rai was detained by police while protesting outside the party office after being stopped from travelling to Saharanpur.
Rai alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government was using the police to prevent opposition leaders from reaching the district.
“Wherever the Yogi government is afraid, it puts the police in front. By using the police to stop us from going to Saharanpur, they are troubling the entire state,” Rai said.
Rai also raised the issue of Panchayat elections, claiming that around 68,000 students, along with members of the Panchayat Adhikar Sangh, had approached the Congress seeking early elections.
“Our demand is to conduct the elections immediately. Why are you harassing them?” he said.
Rai also alleged that the government was using the Saharanpur mosque demolition to divert attention from its failures and described the action as an act of injustice.
Meanwhile, Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad called for a comprehensive investigation before any decision is taken in the matter.
“I have said that a thorough investigation should be conducted into this matter. A complete investigation must be carried out, and only after that should any decision be taken,” he said.
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