MP Iqra Hasan put under house arrest amid Saharanpur mosque demolition in UP

As the administration in Uttar Pradesh carried out the demolition of an alleged illegal mosque located at the office complex of the District Magistrate, Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha MP Iqra Hasan has been placed under house arrest at her Kairana residence before she could visit Saharanpur to speak to the people over the demolition issue.

What the MP said

The MP alleged that a large police contingent arrived at her residence overnight, following which she was placed under house arrest. Speaking to ANI, she posed a question to the state government, asking whether it was a crime for an MP to meet district officials regarding an issue in her constituency.

Also Read: Delhi Police detain activist Swatantra Bhardwaj after CJP protest

"A large police force was deployed at my Kairana residence overnight, and I was placed under house arrest to prevent me from going to Saharanpur. I intended to visit Saharanpur to meet officials regarding the Collectorate mosque issue and to voice the concerns of the people of my constituency, but I was not even allowed to leave my home," said Hasan.

Hasan questions house arrest

"My question to the government and the administration is this: has it now become a crime for an elected MP to meet officials regarding an issue concerning the people of her constituency?" "In a democracy, public representatives are elected to raise the voice of the people. That voice cannot be suppressed by stopping me," she added.

Aldo Read: Ram temple CEO Jeetendra Mishra attends first trust meeting in Ayodhya

The development comes as the administration went ahead with the demolition work at the Saharanpur Collectorate complex after the District Judge's court on September 4 dismissed the appeal filed by the mosque committee and upheld the City Magistrate's earlier order.

Saharanpur DIG Abhishek Singh said that the City Magistrate's court had ruled that the mosque was illegally constructed on government land. The appeal filed by the mosque committee against the order was later dismissed, he said.

Court order precedes demolition

"In the Saharanpur Collectorate, there was a mosque here which was found to be illegally constructed on government land by the City Magistrate's court. Against this order, the mosque committee went to the first appeal, but their appeal was dismissed. The City Magistrate's order was upheld, and currently, the demolition of this illegal structure is underway," Singh said.

According to the DIG, additional security personnel had been deployed in the district as festivals were underway and the demolition exercise was being carried out.