A dispute has surfaced over a mosque in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district, with authorities alleging that the structure was built on police station land, while the mosque management insists it stands on Waqf property. Police said a seven-day notice has been issued to the mosque's imam, seeking ownership documents and asking for the removal of the alleged encroachment, according to news agency PTI.
According to officials, a revenue department survey found that the Jama Masjid, locally known as the "Thane Wali Masjid" and located within the premises of the Kharkhoda police station, had allegedly been constructed on police land. Following the survey, police sought ownership-related documents from the mosque's imam, Abdul Ghaffar. Officials claimed that no valid records had been produced till Sunday evening.
The mosque management, however, rejected the allegations, asserting that the land is recorded in the name of the Waqf Board and that documentary evidence supporting the claim has already been submitted to the police. Police said the Kharkhoda police station, situated on the Meerut-Bulandshahr road, dates back to the pre-Independence era. Revenue records, according to officials, show that 6,450 square metres of land under Khasra number 1217 has remained registered in the name of the police station for several decades. Authorities alleged that the mosque was later constructed by encroaching on a portion of this land.
Kithore Circle Officer Pramod Kumar Singh said the revenue department's report identified the land as part of the police station premises. "As part of the legal process, a notice has been issued to the imam asking him to remove the alleged unauthorised construction and submit relevant documents within seven days," Singh said.
Kharkhoda Station House Officer Rajpal Singh told PTI that the notice was served on Saturday and a seven-day period had been provided for a response. "No reply to the notice has been received so far," he said. Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Abhijeet Kumar said the mosque was several years old and the issue came to light only after a recent demarcation of the police station land. "A notice has been issued and further action will be taken accordingly."
Rejecting the police claims, imam Abdul Ghaffar said the land had been recorded in the name of the Waqf Board in 1985 and that documentary evidence supporting the claim was available. He said the relevant papers had already been submitted to the police and maintained that the mosque was a Waqf property. With the administration and mosque management making conflicting claims over ownership of the land, officials said further action would depend on verification of documents and scrutiny of revenue records.
