Sambhal: Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district have registered a case against eight Muslims, including the caretaker of the demolished Mustafa Qadri Mosque in Kaserua village, after claiming to have recovered posters carrying the words “I Love Muhammad” and a green flag during a demolition operation.
The First Information Report names mosque caretaker Zakir and seven members of the mosque committee. Police invoked provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to the circulation of material alleged to promote hostility between communities.
According to the police complaint, officers entered the mosque before demolition to check for valuables. During the inspection, they reportedly recovered 49 posters bearing the slogan “I Love Muhammad” from beneath a mattress and seized a green flag carrying a crescent and star. Police alleged that the materials were capable of creating communal tension and hurting the sentiments of the Hindu community.
However, questions remain over the basis of these allegations. The report does not indicate whether any complaint was filed by members of the Hindu community regarding hurt sentiments. The allegations contained in the FIR have not been examined by a court.
The case comes amid a wider dispute over the mosque and the land on which it stood. District authorities maintained that the structure occupied land officially recorded as a graveyard belonging to the Gram Sabha. The mosque committee argued that the mosque existed before Independence, was recorded in government documents for decades, and had been registered with the Waqf Board.
The committee also argued that disputes involving Waqf property should fall within the jurisdiction of a Waqf Tribunal. Authorities rejected these claims, stating that documentary evidence presented before them did not establish the land as Waqf property.
Following the dismissal of the mosque committee’s appeal, authorities proceeded with demolition. The latest police case has added another layer to an already contentious dispute involving land records, Waqf claims, and communal sensitivities.
