Ghaziabad admin demolishes illegal madrassa on govt land

GHAZIABAD (UP), Jun 3:  An illegally constructed madrassa in the Dasna area was demolished using bulldozers on Wednesday amid heavy security deployment, officials said.

The action, taken by the Ghaziabad administration following a court order, helped reclaim around one hectare of government land in Kallu Gadhi village, they said.

According to District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Mandar, the demolition order was issued by the tehsildar court.

"The total area of the land is around five hectares, of which the madrassa was constructed on nearly one hectare. The estimated value of this land is Rs 20-25 crore. It is government land," Mandar told PTI Videos.

He said a person named Farooq was found involved in the encroachment and an FIR had already been registered against him.

Ghaziabad Additional Commissioner Rajkaran Nayyar said an FIR had been registered in the matter based on a complaint submitted by the local lekhpal.

The demolition comes amid a wider verification drive launched in Ghaziabad following the killing of 17-year-old Surya Chauhan in the Khoda area. Ever since the murder, police have been verifying the backgrounds of individuals they suspected were involved in unlawful activities.

Surya Chauhan, a Class 11 student, was allegedly stabbed on May 28 following a dispute involving his neighbour Asad and others. He succumbed to his injuries on May 29.

The main accused, Asad, was killed in a police encounter the next day, while his father Nawab and associates Arif and Farhan were arrested.

Following the incident, the administration had sealed two unauthorised madrassas in Khoda, declaring them illegal. A notice was pasted on Asad's house seeking documents related to the property and warning of possible demolition if a satisfactory response was not submitted within 15 days.

Officials said the verification drive against criminals and anti-social elements was still underway. (PTI )