Barabanki mosque demolition: Cops say 8 committee members booked for fraud and cheating

A day after the demolition, the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board issued a statement calling the action illegal and a violation of an Allahabad High Court directive.

Ramsanehi Ghat Station House Officer (SHO) Sachidanand Rai told The Indian Express that the people named in the FIR had fraudulently got a structure in the tehsil premises registered as a Waqf property. “In order to do so, they had formed a committee,” the SHO added.

The FIR has named committee president Mushtaq Ali, vice president Waqeel Ahmad, secretary Mohamad Aneesh, members Dastageer, Afzaal, Mohammad Naseem, and then UP Sunni Central Waqf Board Inspector Mohammad Taha. As per the complaint, the “fraudulent registration” was done in 2019.

The complaint, lodged by Sonu Kumar, who is the District Minority Welfare Officer, read, “This is to bring to your notice that these people formed a committee and then through cheating and fraud got a structure registered as a Waqf property on January 5, 2019. The structure is within the Ramsanehi Ghar tehsil and is opposite the SDM residence… These facts have come to light in a probe done by Tehsildar, Ramsnehi Ghat.”

It added, “This was done under a conspiracy, which included these people and also then UP Sunni Central Waqf Board Inspector Mohammad Taha.”

The case was lodged at the Ramsanehi Ghat police station on Thursday night under IPC sections including 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 471 (using as genuine a forged).