ASI team reaches Saharanpur to inspect well beneath demolished mosque, Oppn leaders allege police restrictions

Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh): Preparations were underway at the Saharanpur Collectorate on Monday for the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) inspection of a well discovered beneath the debris of a demolished mosque, amid heightened political activity in the Uttar Pradesh district.

CCTV cameras were installed around the mosque premises ahead of the inspection. A ladder was also brought to enable officials to descend into the well, while measuring tape was arranged to assess its dimensions.

The City Magistrate, who had passed the order related to the mosque, was also present with the ASI team during the inspection.

SP MLC Lal Bihari Yadav also reacted to the discovery of the well beneath the demolished mosque and said that wells were historically 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, Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Iqra Hasan reached the area and alleged that opposition leaders had been facing police restrictions since Sunday.

Speaking to IANS, Hasan said: "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."

She further alleged: “Since the day before yesterday, the police have been following us. We have been stopped from carrying out our work, and police were deployed outside our homes. They demolished the mosque while keeping us under surveillance.”

“Many people are asking why the elected representatives could not reach the spot. The reason is that while the mosque was sealed, they placed all of us under house arrest,” she added.

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 ongoing developments.

In Lucknow, 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 Saharanpur.

"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.

He also raised the issue of Panchayat elections, saying that around 68,000 students, along with members of the Panchayat Adhikar Sangh, had approached the Congress demanding that the elections be held at the earliest.

“Our demand is to conduct the elections immediately. Why are you harassing them?” Rai said.

"This entire government has failed today. To hide its failures and wrongdoings, it is deliberately carrying out atrocities and injustice across the state. They deliberately demolished the mosque in Saharanpur."

Meanwhile, Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad called for a thorough investigation into the matter before any decision is taken.

"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.

--IANS

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