New Delhi: Controversial posters referring to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots were put up in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur and Lucknow, triggering a political controversy at a time when tensions over the demolition of an old mosque inside the Saharanpur Collectorate complex are already high.
The posters carried a photograph of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alongside a reference to the Muzaffarnagar riots. The message on the posters read, “Na bhoole the, na bhoole hai, na bhoolenge (roughly translated to — We have never forgotten, nor have we forgotten, nor will we forget) – December 7, Muzaffarnagar.”
Police acted swiftly after the posters were spotted and removed them from the locations.
A search has now been launched to identify and trace the person or persons responsible for putting up the posters. Police are examining footage from CCTV cameras installed in the surrounding areas and are also looking at other available evidence as part of the investigation.
Saharanpur Congress MP Imran Masood, speaking tomedia, condemned the act and called for strict action against those responsible, saying that attempts to disturb communal harmony should not be allowed to succeed.
“Strict action should be taken against those who have put up these posters. Some people want to spoil the atmosphere, but we will not let the atmosphere deteriorate at any cost. We want to preserve the character of our city. This is a city of love, not a city of hatred,” Masood said.
The appearance of the posters has added fuel to the Saharanpur Collectorate mosque demolition row.
The Congress MP said that the demolition issue would now be pursued through legal channels, with the dispute expected to be taken before the court.
“This is the administration’s job, and they are doing it. Now that the mosque has been demolished, the fight will have to be taken to court. All these disputes are about papers and documents. We have those documents with us, so we will fight it in court and go to court. There is no point in talking to the officials,” Masood said.
Opposition parties have accused the BJP-led state government of promoting communal politics and carrying out targeted action against a particular community ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
The demolition followed a legal dispute over the status of the structure and the land on which it stood. A district court had dismissed an appeal against an earlier order holding that the structure had been built on government land and was unauthorised.
The September 2 order itself did not specifically mention demolition. Instead, it dismissed the appeal and upheld an earlier order passed by a magistrate July 16.
The July 16 order had directed the eviction of the mosque under the Uttar Pradesh Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1972, after concluding that the structure occupied 315 square metres of government land.
