Bahraich, January 19: At least ten illegal tombs built in the Maharaja Suheldev Autonomous State Medical College campus of Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh were demolished by bulldozer on Monday.
City Magistrate Rajesh Prasad said that under the guise of two tombs within the college campus, 12 tombs along with 10 other tombs were built illegally and a large plot of land was illegally occupied. 10 of these tombs were declared illegal by the then City Magistrate in 2002. Against this order, the parties filed a petition with the District Magistrate, which was rejected by the District Magistrate in the year 2004. The parties again filed a suit with the Divisional Commissioner, but 15 years later, in 2009, they received no relief, and the Divisional Commissioner upheld the then-City Magistrate’s order.
Meanwhile, after the construction of the medical college in 2023, these tombs came within the campus. The parties had initially promised to remove the encroachment themselves, but even after the deadline had expired, no action was taken.
On January 10, City Magistrate Rajesh Prasad issued a notice to the parties concerned to remove the illegal tombs by January 17th. When the tombs were not removed by the stipulated deadline, 10 tombs were demolished with a bulldozer today, on the orders of the District Magistrate, in the presence of police.
The City Magistrate clarified that only two tombs were legally registered in the Waqf, and all other tombs were demolished.