UP Congress chief arrested on way to Saharanpur over mosque demolition

The Congress on Monday, 7 September reported that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh had arrested state Congress president Ajay Rai and other workers to prevent them from meeting people affected by the demolition of a mosque on the premises of the Saharanpur collectorate.

In a post on X, the Congress said Rai was travelling to Saharanpur to meet the victims and members of the mosque committee and protest against what it described as the 'illegal' demolition of the mosque. The party alleged that the BJP government sent police to arrest Rai and Congress workers.

'If BJP thinks that it can silence our voice by using such tactics, it should get rid of this misunderstanding. We will fight every injustice with all our strength,' the party said.

The mosque was demolished on 5 September amid heavy police deployment, after the Saharanpur city magistrate had declared the structure illegal and ordered its demolition.

The mosque management committee had challenged the order in the district court, but its appeal was rejected on 2 September, three days before the demolition.

The controversy has since acquired another dimension with the discovery of a well beneath the debris during clearance work on Sunday. An Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) team began examining the approximately 20-foot-deep and 1.5-metre-wide well on Monday to determine its age and historical significance.

Sadar sub-divisional magistrate Subodh Kumar said three ASI officials examined the well in the presence of local administration officials. The team measured its depth, examined its interior, carried out photography and videography, and collected soil and brick samples.

The discovery has also triggered competing claims over the site's history. Vikas Tyagi, a former Bajrang Dal convenor and the complainant in the case, claimed that a temple might have existed at the site before the mosque was built.

Congress MP Imran Masood, however, said the well was part of the mosque and had historically been used to provide water for wuzu, or ablution before prayers.

The ASI's findings are expected to establish the antiquity and historical background of the well. Tyagi had filed a petition in the city magistrate's court in 2025 alleging that the mosque within the collectorate premises was illegal. The city magistrate subsequently ordered its demolition, which was challenged by the mosque management committee in the district court.

With PTI inputs