Lucknow: Amidst the demand for judicial probe into the demolition of Garib Nawaz Masjid in Barabanki, the local police booked seven people for what it said "resorting to fraud and cheating" to get the mosque registered as a Waqf property.
The case was lodged on Thursday against some members of the committee, including a former UP Sunni Central Waqf Board inspector.
The district administration had demolished the mosque in the village of Bani Kada in Ram Sanehi Ghat tehsil on Monday, claiming it was an "illegal structure". It was locally known as the Gareeb Nawaz Masjid.
A day after the demolition, the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board issued a statement terming the action as illegal and a violation of an Allahabad High Court directive.
Ram Sanehi Ghat Station House Officer (SHO) Sachidanand Rai however said the people named in the FIR had "fraudulently" got a structure in the tehsil premises registered as a Waqf property.
"They had formed a committee to do so," the SHO added. The "fraudulent registration" was done in 2019.
The FIR has named committee president Mushtaq Ali, vice president Waqeel Ahmad, secretary Mohamad Aneesh, members Dastageer, Afzaal, Mohammad Naseem, and then UP Sunni Central Waqf Board Inspector Mohammad Taha.
The complaint has been filed by Sonu Kumar, who is the District Minority Welfare Officer.
The complainant said:
"This is to bring to your notice that these people formed a committee and then through cheating and fraud, got a structure registered as a Waqf property on January 5, 2019. The structure is within the Ram Sanehi Ghar tehsil and is opposite the SDM residence."
It further stated:
"This was done under a conspiracy, which included these people and also then UP Sunni Central Waqf Board Inspector Mohammad Taha."
Sunni Waqf Board and All India Muslim Personal Board (AIMPLB) on the other hand asserted that the mosque was demolished defying court order and demanded a judicial probe into the demolition by a sitting High Court judge and suspension of officials responsible for the action.
"The century-old Garib Nawaz mosque in Ram Sanehi Ghat tehsil was demolished by the administration without any legal justification on Monday night in the presence of police," claimed All-India Muslim Law Board (AIMPLB) working General Secretary Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rehmani in a statement.
"There was no dispute relating to the mosque. It is also listed with the Sunni Waqf Board", he added.
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