Tension gripped Uttarakhand’s Mussoorie on Saturday after the local administration demolished a prayer structure inside a nearly 200-year-old cemetery in the Laxmanpuri area, describing it as an encroachment on municipal land. The action triggered protests by members of the Muslim community, who blocked the Mussoorie-Dehradun highway and raised slogans against the administration.
The protest caused traffic disruption for some time before police and officials persuaded demonstrators to clear the road. Heavy police deployment was made in the area to maintain law and order.
Community Says It Was a Funeral Prayer Site, Not a Mosque
Members of the Muslim community said the demolished structure was not a mosque used for daily prayers. According to them, it was a tin-roofed shelter where funeral prayers (Janaza Namaz) were offered before burials at the cemetery.
They claimed the site had been in religious use for nearly 200 years and that generations of their ancestors were buried there.
Protesters questioned why the authorities had not raised any objection to the structure for decades if the land belonged to the government. They argued that the administration should have held discussions with the community before taking action in a matter involving religious sentiments.
Administration Says Structure Was Built on Municipal Land
Mussoorie Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Rahul Anand said the land belongs to the Mussoorie Municipal Council. He said records examined by the Revenue Department, Municipal Council, Cantonment Board and Waqf Board showed that the land was neither owned by the Waqf Board nor by any private individual or community.
According to the SDM, the structure was identified as an encroachment on municipal land.
He said the administration had issued three notices asking the concerned parties to remove the structure voluntarily, but no action was taken. After the notices were ignored, officials carried out the demolition in the presence of police, following the legal procedure.
“The action was taken strictly in accordance with the law after due process,” the SDM said.
Situation Under Control
Following the protests, administrative officials held talks with demonstrators, after which the highway blockade was lifted. Authorities said the situation is now under control, though police presence has been increased in the area as a precaution.
The demolition has led to disagreement between the administration, which maintains that it removed an illegal encroachment, and members of the Muslim community, who say the action has hurt their religious sentiments and ended a long-standing religious practice at the historic cemetery.
