A large contingent of over 100 police personnel, including 30 women constables and two companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary, was deployed to maintain order
NEW DELHI — Six bulldozers rolled into the Meat Mandi (Motinagar) area of Khalilabad city in Uttar Pradesh’s Sant Kabir Nagar District on Sunday to raze a 640-square-metre structure housing a 25-room madrasa.
Authorities began demolishing the building under heavy police presence after the madrasa committee’s legal appeal was rejected. Officials said the action was taken after all legal hurdles were cleared.
The demolition of the three-storey madrasa was carried out by the district administration following the dismissal of a legal appeal by the Basti divisional commissioner on Saturday, April 25. Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Hriday Ram Tiwari confirmed that no further legal hurdles or pending cases remained in any court regarding the structure.
A large contingent of over 100 police personnel, including 30 women constables and two companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), was deployed to maintain order.
Officials stated the madrasa was linked to Maulana Shamshul Huda Khan, a UK-based cleric accused of radical links and illegal foreign funding. Maulana Khan, a native of Azamgarh, has acquired British citizenship, according to officials.
They maintained that the structure was built without a sanctioned building plan. They also said the land was identified as government property that had been illegally encroached upon approximately eight years ago.
Multiple agencies, including the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), have reportedly investigated Maulana Khan for suspected anti-national activities and the channelling of funds through his NGO, the Raja Foundation. He reportedly acquired British citizenship in 2013 and has been under investigation for several months.
At the demolition site, senior officials, including Additional District Magistrate Jai Prakash and Circle Officer Priyam Rajshekhar, were present.
