New Delhi, Sep 5: AIMIM President, Asaduddin Owaisi, on Saturday reacted to the demolition of a mosque at the Saharanpur Collectorate, questioning whether the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion still applies to Muslims. He further said that “you cannot bulldoze our masjid just because you have an itch.”

Owaisi took to his social media ‘X’ and said, “The mosque in the Saharanpur Collectorate was demolished at 5 a.m. this morning. Does the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion no longer apply to Muslims? Why is it that our places of worship are constantly bulldozed on flimsy grounds.”

“The mosque committee produced records going back to 1911 to establish its existence. Prayers have been offered there continuously for more than a century. This is the very definition of Waqf by User, which is still protected as Waqf under law,” he said in the post.

AIMIM President further said that the Limitation Act does not ordinarily allow the Government an unlimited period to wake up one fine morning and assert possession over immovable property.

He further said that the mosque came first, the collectorate later.

“There was more than a century of open, continuous and public possession? The State cannot pretend that this possession began yesterday, hence the principle of adverse possession would apply even if we concede to the state’s arguments. The mosque came first, the collectorate later,” he said.

Owaisi said that for some people, perhaps the very sight of a mosque causes pain.

“For some people, perhaps the very sight of a masjid causes pain. That is their problem, not ours. Look away if you must. You cannot bulldoze our masjid just because you have an itch. My religious freedom is not dependent on your mercy,” he added.

Meanwhile, the administration on Saturday demolished the mosque located within the Collectorate complex in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, after the Muslim side’s appeal was rejected by the court.

Samajwadi Party MP, Iqra Hasan, was scheduled to travel to Saharanpur on Saturday morning, but she was placed under house arrest before she could leave. A large police contingent has been deployed outside her residence.

The development has further intensified the political debate in western Uttar Pradesh.

Speaking to media, Congress MP Imran Masood said, “Look, it’s not just about the mosque. It’s not just the mosque that has been affected; the law of the country and the Constitution are being violated. You cannot prove that the land belongs to you. Based on the Khasra records, you have claimed that this is government collectorate land. But even today, the collectorate land is recorded in the names of Waheed Khan and Yakub Khan, within whose zamindari the mosque was built. It is still registered in their names.

“The mosque is registered with the Waqf Board, but you did not make the Waqf Board a party. As far as Waqf by User is concerned, I was a member of the JPC, and Waqf by User establishes that it is a mosque. There are bills for it, prayers have been continuously offered there, and all these activities have been taking place.”

He further said, “That mosque has been there for the last 70 to 80 years. You had passed an order, and then the District Court passed its order within just one month. The appeal was heard and rejected. You neither listened to us nor gave us time. It is our fundamental right to raise this issue before a higher court, but you did not give us any time.”

New Delhi, Sep 5: The Shahdara District Police on Saturday solved two motor vehicle theft cases with the arrest of two accused persons and the recovery of a stolen motorcycle.

According to the police, the Crack Team of Gandhi Nagar Police Station traced the two accused following sustained efforts to identify those involved in the theft and recovery of the stolen motorcycle.

The action followed the registration of an online complaint/e-FIR regarding the theft of a Bullet motorcycle. The case was registered vide e-FIR No. 017015/26 under Section 305(B) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Gandhi Nagar police station in Shahdara district.

Taking the matter seriously, the Crack Team was tasked with tracing the stolen motorcycle and identifying the persons involved in the crime.

The police team comprised Sub-Inspector Vikas Kumar, Head Constables Rahul Chaudhary and Aman Bansal. The team worked under the leadership of the Station House Officer (SHO) of Gandhi Nagar police station and the overall supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Shahdara district.

During the investigation, the team conducted an extensive analysis of CCTV footage from the area surrounding the place of occurrence and adjoining routes. The footage was examined in detail to establish the movement trail of the stolen motorcycle.

Alongside the CCTV analysis, the team carried out field verification and developed local Intelligence to identify the suspects. Through persistent efforts and continuous follow-up of various leads, the police managed to establish the movement of the stolen motorcycle and identify the accused.

The investigation revealed that accused Shahzad, a 25-year-old resident of New Seelampur, Delhi, allegedly stole the Bullet motorcycle and later sold it to Shanu alias Sahanwaj, who allegedly received the stolen property.

Police subsequently traced both accused persons and recovered the stolen motorcycle from their possession.

Shanu alias Sahanwaj, a resident of Gali No. 5, Azad Chowk, Sangam Vihar, Wazirabad, Delhi, was allegedly involved as the receiver of the stolen motorcycle after purchasing it from Shahzad.

The recovery included one stolen Bullet motorcycle linked to e-FIR No. 017015/26 under Section 305(B) of the BNS at Gandhi Nagar police station.

The investigation also led to the detection of another motor vehicle theft case registered as e-FIR No. 015987/26 under Section 305(2) of the BNS at Gandhi Nagar police station.

Mumbai/Jalna, Sep 4: The ongoing political tussle over reservations in Maharashtra escalated sharply on Friday as senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra Minister Chhagan Bhujbal issued a fierce warning to his own MahaYuti government against encroaching upon Other Backward Classes (OBC) quotas.

His fiery outburst drew an immediate, sharp retaliation from Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil, further deepening the rift within the ruling MahaYuti coalition government.

Addressing a press conference, Minister Bhujbal fired a direct broadside at state Ministers and legislators visiting Jarange Patil’s hunger strike site in Antarwali Sarati, accusing the state government of demonstrating excessive eagerness to appease the activist’s demands.

Minister Bhujbal raised serious concerns over alleged document tampering to claim Kunbi-Maratha status and cautioned against overriding statutory procedures.

“The Caste Scrutiny Committee is a vital body, and no one should exert pressure on it,” he asserted, questioning lawmakers who promised to “correct” rejected caste certificates.

“Four Corporators in Mumbai lost their seats because their caste validity certificates were cancelled. Are you going to ‘correct’ those as well?”

Highlighting economic imbalances, Minister Bhujbal revealed he walked out of a Cabinet sub-committee meeting in protest after Rs 750 crore was allocated to the Maratha-focused Annasaheb Patil Economic Development Corporation, compared to a mere Rs 5 crore granted to OBC welfare committees.

He demanded that if a dedicated Maratha-Kunbi Ministry is created, separate Ministries must be established for every community in the state.

Minister Bhujbal urged the state government to immediately clarify how a single candidate could simultaneously seek benefits under three distinct categories — OBC, Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC), and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).

Taking aim at the Maratha Reservation Cabinet Sub-Committee led by Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, the Minister questioned its authority to unilaterally issue local directives and Government Resolutions (GRs), warning that he will take to the streets if OBC interests continue to be sidelined.

Responding swiftly from his protest site in Antarwali Sarati, Manoj Jarange Patil launched a scathing personal attack on the veteran NCP leader Bhujbal, accusing him of exploiting the OBC community for political leverage.

“At this age, he (Chhagan Bhujbal) should look after his own politics and figure out how to make his nephew an MP,” Jarange Patil charged.

“He (Chhagan Bhujbal) consumed everything in the name of OBCs—the OBC Development Corporation was cleared out, and even Maharashtra Sadan wasn’t spared. The OBC community has now recognised his true nature as his decline has begun.”

Dismissing Minister Bhujbal’s demographic claims, Jarange Patil said, “Who told Bhujbal that the OBC population is 60 per cent? The massive Maratha community has only been granted a 10 per cent quota.”

The Maratha activist added, “People are watching how he (Chhagan Bhujbal) opportunistically switches sides—sometimes joining the Maha Vikas Aghadi, sometimes the MahaYuti, and sometimes aligning with Ajit Pawar.”

Jarange Patil reaffirmed that while the state government delegates have accepted key demands—including issuing Kunbi caste certificates to those with historical records—he will not end his fast until official implementation takes effect on the ground.