The operation began on Tuesday afternoon in Madhan village, within the Asmoli police station area. The 25-foot minaret of the Eidgah was brought down first before machinery moved to the remaining sections of the religious structures.
More than 100 personnel from the police, Provincial Armed Constabulary and Rapid Action Force were deployed around the site. Barricades were erected to stop residents from surrounding villages entering the demolition zone, while officials supervised the removal work.
The district administration said the action implemented an order issued by the tehsildar’s court on April 21. Revenue proceedings were initiated after a complaint alleged that land recorded for use as a graveyard had been occupied and partly converted into an Eidgah and mosque.
A subsequent measurement and examination of land records identified the disputed religious structures on plot number 208 along the Asmoli-Lodhipur road. The plot measures about 70 square metres and forms part of a larger tract officially classified as graveyard land.
Officials said plots numbered 208, 210, 218 and 417 were entered in revenue records for burial purposes. Plot 210 continues to function as a graveyard, while the use of plot 208 had allegedly been changed without legal approval.
The administration described the construction as an encroachment and said the court had directed that the land be restored to its recorded purpose. Officials maintained that notices and proceedings under the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code preceded the demolition.
Two houses located near the mosque were also pulled down before the main structures were removed. The administration said the broader dispute involved approximately six bighas of occupied land, including about four bighas belonging to a government cemetery.
The remaining two bighas were said to belong to a woman from the village. Authorities alleged that two men had forcibly occupied that portion, although details of any separate court proceedings concerning the private land were not immediately disclosed.
District Magistrate Rajendra Pensiya said government land valued at approximately Rs 5 crore had been reclaimed through the operation. Officials indicated that the administration would update the relevant records and take steps to protect the cleared property against further occupation.
No clashes or injuries were reported during the demolition. Police maintained restrictions around the area as debris was removed and revenue officials marked the boundaries of the reclaimed plots.
The authorities’ description of the structures as illegal reflects their position in the revenue proceedings. The demolition does not involve Sambhal’s Shahi Jama Masjid, the Mughal-era monument at the centre of a separate legal dispute and communal violence in November 2024.
Sambhal has witnessed a series of anti-encroachment operations involving religious buildings, homes, commercial properties and other structures said to have been erected on ponds, roads, burial grounds or land owned by local bodies.
Several mosque committees and village residents have previously dismantled disputed structures themselves after receiving notices. Other properties have been removed by the administration following orders from revenue courts or the expiry of deadlines for voluntary clearance.
Authorities have argued that the campaign is intended to recover public property, restore ponds and graveyards, and enforce land-use records without regard to the religious identity of a structure. Critics have questioned the proportionality of bulldozer operations and demanded strict adherence to notice requirements, appeal rights and judicial safeguards.
The Supreme Court has previously laid down nationwide safeguards for demolitions, including prior notice and an opportunity for affected parties to challenge an order, except in narrowly defined circumstances involving public roads, railway lines, water bodies or removals specifically directed by courts.
