Acting on directions issued by a local court, the district administration in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria on Sunday carried out the demolition of a ‘mazar’ (shrine) that authorities said had been allegedly built illegally on government land.
The structure, identified as the Hazrat Shaheed Syed Abdul Gani Shah Baba shrine, stood on vacant public land near an overbridge along the Deoria–Gorakhpur Road. Officials said bulldozers were used to remove the shrine, with a large contingent of police personnel deployed in the area as a precautionary measure.
According to the administration, the action followed an order of the Sadar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) court, which ruled that the land belonged to the government and that the shrine did not have legal recognition. The court had directed the removal of the structure after hearing submissions from all concerned parties.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Shruti Sharma said the demolition was carried out in accordance with due process and without any disturbance. “The operation was conducted peacefully, and the situation in the area remains normal,” she said.
Members of the shrine’s management committee had begun vacating the premises ahead of the demolition. Committee president Rashid Khan said they were adhering to the court’s directions and cooperating with the authorities.
Officials said the matter originated in 2019, when local BJP leaders submitted a complaint alleging that an unauthorised structure had come up on government land.
