Sambhal

The Sambhal district administration has issued a notice to the committee managing a shrine and a mosque located on land officially recorded as a graveyard in the Chaudhary Sarai area, directing it to remove what officials have described as unauthorised structures.

Tehsildar Dhirendra Pratap Singh visited the site on Wednesday and served an ultimatum, cautioning that legal proceedings would be initiated if the instructions were not followed within the stipulated time.

Addressing the media, Singh said official land records identify the plot as a graveyard, yet a mosque and a shrine dedicated to Dada Fakhruddin Rehmatullah have been constructed on it. He further noted that a weekly market is held at the location every Friday, but organisers will now be required to seek prior approval from the sub-divisional magistrate to continue the activity.

“The land is entered in government records as a graveyard and should be used solely for burial purposes. Construction of a mosque or any other permanent structure on it is not permissible,” the tehsildar said.

He added that the managing committee has requested 15 days’ time and assured the administration that the weekly market would be stopped and the disputed structures removed within that period. “If the directions are not complied with within the given timeframe, notices will be issued and legal action will be initiated,” Singh warned.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Sultan, associated with the committee that manages the Dada Fakhruddin Rehmatullah shrine, contested the administration’s claims. He said the shrine has existed for several generations and holds ancestral significance, attracting devotees from different communities.

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Sultan also told reporters that the graveyard is registered with the Sunni Waqf Board in Lucknow and continues to be used for burial purposes. “The mosque and the shrine are places of worship and should remain intact,” he said.