An incident of encroachment on temple land has come to light from Umran village in Thathia police station area of Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh. As per a report of Dainik Bhaskar, clashes broke out between Muslims and Hindus in the village after a Mazar was found erected on the land belonging to the village temple.
According to the report, about a week ago when people from the Hindu community reached on the spot to register protests against the encroachment on the temple land, the Muslims started pelting stones on them. They even targeted the Hindu women passing from there.
A video of the stone pelting recently surfaced on social media.
कन्नौज के ठठिया थाना क्षेत्र के उमरन गांव में जमीनी विवाद को लेकर दो पक्षों में पथराव हुआ। गाली-गलौज के बाद पथराव हुआ, जिसका वीडियो सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल हो गया। पुलिस ने मामले की जांच शुरू कर दी है और स्थिति पर नजर रखी जा रही है।#Kannauj @kannaujpolice @Uppolice pic.twitter.com/fGHHbvzDQd
— भारत समाचार | Bharat Samachar (@bstvlive) January 4, 2025
What is the whole incident?
The matter reportedly relates to an elevated piece of land spread across 70 Bighas densely covered by Acacia trees. Out these 70 Bighas, about 7 Bighas belong to the village temple and the rest of the land belongs to Gram Sabha. According to the villagers, the entire piece of land has been lying vacant due to dense Acacia trees. However, recently a Mazar was found erected on the temple land which led to violence between the two communities.
The villagers alleged that the local Muslims have been keeping an eye on the land. The villagers also accused the local police and the Electricity Department of being hand in glove with the Muslims who have been trying to grab the temple land. They said that the police helped the Muslims level the elevated ground and start illegal mining there. It is further alleged that the Muslims were even able to set up a tubewell on the land with the help of Electricity Department and started cultivation on it.
According to the report, when one Mahipal, a Dalit man from the village, confronted the Muslim men about the Mazar and the stone pelting incident, they physically attacked him and used caste slurs on him.
The villagers accused the police of not cooperating and refusing to file a case in this regard until the matter was raised by leaders from Hindu organisations like Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad raised the matter with higher authorities.
An FIR has been lodged against Noor Hasan, Ibl-e-Hasan and Qamil for physically attacking Mahipal and using caste slurs under relevant legal provisions.
Police rejects mazar angle, says it is land dispute between 2 parties
The Kannauj police, however, have denied the Mazar angle in the incident, saying that it is only a land dispute between 2 parties.
धार्मिक स्थल तोड़कर बनाई गई मजार का कोई प्रकरण न आज व बीते दिनों में नहीं हुआ है। तथ्यात्मक आधार नहीं है और यह पूरी तरह भ्रामक एवं असत्य है । कन्नौज पुलिस इसका खण्डन करती है। थाना ठठिया क्षेत्रांतर्गत एक गांव में जमीन के स्वामित्व को लेकर दो पक्षों में विवाद है जो मा0 न्यायालय…
— kannauj police (@kannaujpolice) January 5, 2025
Taking to X, Kannauj Police posted, “No incident of mazar built by demolishing a religious structure has been reported in recent days. The specific incident mentioned is a land dispute between 2 parties and the matter is sub judice in court. Kannauj police have registered a complaint of dispute between the two said parties. The reports of mazar building are false and misleading.”
Note: The report has been updated with the police statement.
