Meerut, Jan. 5 -- Two mosques and a madrasa built illegally on government land in Sambhal district's Asmoli area were removed on Sunday, officials said. The action was carried out amid tight security, with senior officials present on the spot and drone surveillance deployed to monitor the situation. In Hajipur village under Asmoli police station limits, locals demolished a mosque before the administration could initiate bulldozer action in the morning. The villagers reportedly worked throughout the night using hammers and chisels to raze the structure. The mosque had been built on 1,339 square metres (approximately one and a half bighas) of land. When the administrative team reached the site in the morning, they found the structure already reduced to rubble. Tehsildar Dhirendra Pratap Singh said people voluntarily removed the illegal construction. The administration later cleared the debris from the site. The madrasa was located around 500 meters away from the demolished mosque. It was built on 1,500 square metres of land. Prior to the demolition, public announcements were made by beating drums (munadi). The madrasa was demolished with three bulldozers. District magistrate Rajendra Pensiya, superintendent of police Krishna Kumar Bishnoi, and a heavy police force were present at the site. Meanwhile, the other mosque was located about 11 km away from Hajipur in Raya Buzurg village, located about 11 kilometers away from the madrasa site, also under Asmoli police station jurisdiction. It was said to be built on 1,500 square metres of government land without authorization. According to the administration, the mosque committee was served a notice on October 2. However, it approached the high court seeking relief. The high court dismissed the petition, after which the administration proceeded with demolition. The DM said that 1,500 square meters of land had been encroached upon in the name of a madrasa, but instead of educational activities, commercial operations were being run from the premises. "Shops had been constructed, and rent was being collected from them. The tehsildar's court had issued demolition orders nearly one and a half months ago, but the madrasa committee moved the high court, which rejected the appeal," he added. Following the court's decision, the madrasa committee was given a 15-day notice. The notice period expired on Sunday. Later, the DM and SP distributed land lease deeds (patta) to 20 selected beneficiaries on the reclaimed land. The DM said that the mosque demolished by villagers had been constructed illegally around 25 years ago. The DM added that a total fine of Rs.58 lakh had been imposed in connection with the illegal encroachment. Out of this, a penalty of Rs.8.78 lakh was imposed on the mosque's maulana (mutawalli). For the demolition drive, a team comprising one additional superintendent of police (ASP), two tehsildars, one circle officer (CO), six kanungos, and 24 lekhpals was constituted. SP Krishan Kumar Bishnoi said: "A few months ago, the police and the district administration received information that an illegal mosque and madrasa had been constructed on village government land in Salempur village. A four-month notice was issued to the concerned parties. On Saturday night, villagers themselves demolished the mosque, but the madrasa remained intact, leading the administration to carry out demolition action on Sunday." htc...