Online DESK: A portion of a nearly six-decade-old madrasa and a mosque was demolished by the administration in Uttar Pradesh’s Siddharthnagar district on Tuesday morning. Officials said the structures had been built on government land earmarked for a playground.

The demolition was carried out in Pipra Ramlal village in the Dumariyaganj area in the presence of a large police contingent. The administration deployed multiple bulldozers and the operation lasted around two hours, during which seven rooms of the madrasa, part of a hall and a shop were razed, according to officials and local residents.

The Madrasa Arabia Ziaul Uloom is said to have been established in 1968. According to the village head, the institution had been functioning for decades and had served generations of local students.

The operation began early in the morning, with Sub-Divisional Magistrate Vivekanand Mishra present at the site. Hundreds of police personnel from five police stations were reportedly deployed, while six bulldozers were pressed into service

According to the administration, the action followed a prolonged legal dispute over the land. An appeal had reportedly been filed in the District Magistrate’s court against an earlier order of the Tehsildar court, but it was rejected.

Local residents and madrasa supporters have questioned the demolition of a religious and educational institution that had existed at the site for decades.

The demolition also led to a confrontation between police and local political workers.

Samajwadi Party MLA from Dumariyaganj, Saiyada Khatoon, along with SP district president Lalji Yadav and more than 50 party workers, reached the site and opposed the action. According to local accounts, slogans were raised and a brief pushing and shoving incident took place between protesters and police personnel.

The situation remained tense for around half an hour before police put up barricades and moved people away from the demolition site.

The demolition continued thereafter, with officials completing the operation in roughly two hours.

According to the Gram Pradhan, the madrasa was established in 1968 and had continued to operate for nearly six decades. Local accounts say the institution served several hundred children, many from economically weaker families.

The land dispute, according to the administration, dates back to at least 2022, when proceedings relating to the plots were initiated before the tehsil authorities.

The latest action has triggered anger among people, who argue that the long-standing institution should not have been demolished without adequately addressing questions surrounding its land and legal status.