A mosque, which was stated to be one hundred years old, was razed by the local administration in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki district, about 40 kilometres from here.
While the officials claimed that the mosque, which was situated inside the 'tehsil' premises in Ram Sanehi Ghat area in the district, was 'illegal', the Sunni Central Waqf Board said that there was no 'dispute' over the mosque and that it would move the court against the demolition.
The officials said that the mosque, which encroached on the government land, was demolished on the orders of a sub-divisional magistrate's (SDM) court in Ram Sanehi Ghat.
They said that a notice was served on the people, who had been residing there, asking them to produce document in support of their claim but they fled after serving of the notice.
District magistrate Adarsh Singh defended the demolition and said that the administration took possession of the complex on March 18 after the residents failed to appear before the SDM court.
According to the Board, the mosque was razed in the dead of night on Monday and the debris was removed immediately in the presence of a large posse of security personnel.
"The demolition is illegal....we will approach the Allahabad high court against it and seek restoration of the mosque and punishment to the guilty officials," a Board member here said on Wednesday.
Tension prevailed the area and security personnel in strength had been deployed there as a precautionary measure.
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