Uttarkashi district mosque built on registered land, not illegal: Official

A mosque in Uttarkashi town is built on registered land and is not illegal, an official in the Uttarakhand police, citing district administration records, said.

Amit Srivastava, superintendent of police (SP), Uttarkashi, said, “Some Hindu organisations had given a memorandum to the administration, in which they stated that it is an illegal mosque. According to the district administration, it is built on registered land, and it is not illegal. It is registered in the names of four people. The administration has conveyed them the same to the Hindu organisations.”

“We will not allow anybody to take law into their hands”, he said.

An umbrella group of Hindu organisations -- Sanyukt Sanatan Dharam Rakshak Sangh -- submitted a memorandum to Uttarkashi district magistrate Meharban Singh Bisht on September 9 demanding for the demolition as it was not registered in the official revenue records.

The organisation members held a public demonstration outside the DM office pressing for their demands with a three-day deadline.

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Meanwhile, Uttarkashi DM Bisht said they have constituted a committee under sub divisional magistrate (SDM) Bhatwari for inspection of the land records pertaining to the mosque.

“We will take the required action as the law once the report of the committee is received,” he said.

“The committee will probe the land records of places, including the mosque, mentioned in the memorandum given to them (by Hindu organisations). Once the probe report comes, we will take action as per the law and will remove illegal encroachments, if any,” he said.

The DM urged everyone to cooperate with the district administration to maintain law and order and peace in the district.