Saharanpur: A well discovered beneath the debris of a mosque demolished inside the Saharanpur collectorate compound has prompted the district administration to consider seeking the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) assistance to determine its age and possible historical significance.
The discovery was made a day after the mosque was demolished following a district court ruling that declared the structure unauthorised and held that it stood on government land. According to Additional District Magistrate Saharanpur Santosh Bahadur Singh, the well was found when an earthmover clearing the demolition debris became stuck on a stone slab.
Workers subsequently used a cutter to break open the slab, revealing a well beneath it. Officials said the well is approximately 20 feet deep and 1.5 metres wide.
The administration has currently covered the well to prevent debris from falling into it. Police personnel have also been deployed at the site, while barricades have been installed to restrict access to outsiders.
Officials are considering calling experts from the ASI to assess the age of the structure and establish whether it has any historical significance. Vikas Tyagi, whose complaint led to an administrative inquiry into the mosque, has demanded a detailed investigation into the well and urged authorities to determine whether other structures or remains could be located beneath the site.
The mosque was declared an “unauthorised structure” in July after the City Magistrate ordered its eviction within 30 days. The authorities also imposed a penalty of Rs 6.41 crore on the alleged unauthorised occupants for occupying a 315-square-metre parcel of government land under the Uttar Pradesh Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1972.
The demolition has drawn criticism from mosque representatives and opposition leaders. Mosque Mutwali Tanveer Ahmed alleged that the action was carried out without following due process, while Congress MP Imran Masood termed the demolition a “black day” for Saharanpur.
The administration’s proposed archaeological assessment could now determine whether the newly discovered well has any historical relevance.
