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.”

Panaji, Sep 5: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will undertake a three-day visit to Goa from Saturday, during which he is scheduled to chair a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) meeting, participate in the Western Zonal Council meeting and address a press conference focussed on narcotics control.

According to the schedule, Shah will arrive in Goa on Saturday and will remain in the state until September 7.

His visit will include a series of official engagements dealing with internal security, anti-narcotics measures, Centre-state coordination and regional administrative issues, along with programmes related to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

On September 6, Shah will chair a meeting in the morning to review various issues concerning Goa across different divisions of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The meeting is expected to cover a range of state-specific matters as well as issues falling within the jurisdiction of the Union Home Ministry.

Later in the afternoon, Shah will address a press conference on narcotics. The interaction will focus on measures being taken to tackle drug trafficking, strengthen the country’s anti-narcotics framework and intensify efforts to combat the illegal movement of drugs.

During his stay in Goa, the Union Home Minister will also inaugurate the Bharatiya Janata Party’s newly constructed state office building, Atal Bhavan. Following the inauguration, he is scheduled to chair a meeting of the sparty’ State Core Committee, where organisational and political matters are expected to be discussed.

On September 7, Shah will participate in the meeting of the Western Zonal Council, an important platform for coordination and discussion among states and Union Territories in the western region.

The Western Zonal Council meeting will bring together representatives from Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. The council provides a forum for the participating states and Union Territory to deliberate on matters concerning regional development, administrative coordination and issues requiring inter-state cooperation.

The meeting is also expected to facilitate discussions on matters of common interest among the participating states and the Union Territory, with an emphasis on improving coordination and addressing regional concerns through cooperative mechanisms.

Following the Western Zonal Council meeting, Shah will attend the Goa Police President’s Colours Award Ceremony at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Taleigao.

The President’s Colours are considered among the highest honours conferred on uniformed services in recognition of distinguished service, professional excellence and significant contributions to national security and public service.

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.