New Delhi, September 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Saturday criticised the Uttar Pradesh government’s ongoing action against mosques declared illegal, including the recent demolition of a mosque in Saharanpur, and urged the Yogi Adityanath government to immediately halt such measures.
In a post on X, Mayawati said declaring mosques illegal in haste and subsequently demolishing them was not the appropriate approach. She called for alternative measures to resolve such disputes and prevent the situation from escalating.
Mayawati said a constitutional and secular government has a responsibility to respect followers of all religions and ensure the protection of their places of worship. She stressed that mosques hold an integral place in Islamic religious practice and called for them to be treated with due respect in the larger public interest.
The BSP chief also expressed concern over the demolition of houses belonging to accused persons without following due legal procedures, saying such action could leave entire families homeless. She called for governance based on the rule of law and urged both the government and judiciary to give due attention to the issue.
Mayawati also appealed to people to maintain communal harmony.
Her remarks came hours after the Saharanpur administration demolished a mosque located within the Collectorate complex after a court rejected an appeal against the demolition order.
The development has triggered a political controversy in western Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hasan was scheduled to visit Saharanpur on Saturday but was reportedly placed under house arrest before leaving, with a police contingent deployed outside her residence.
Congress MP Imran Masood disputed the administration’s claim regarding the land and questioned the manner in which the demolition was carried out. He said revenue records continued to show the land in the names of Waheed Khan and Yakub Khan, within whose alleged zamindari the mosque was constructed.
Masood also claimed that the mosque was registered with the Waqf Board and argued that the authorities had not made the board a party to the proceedings. He said the mosque had existed for 70 to 80 years and alleged that the Muslim side was not given sufficient time to approach a higher court.
He said he would continue to raise the matter through the legal process.
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