A Muslim graveyard in Alam Sarai village, situated in the Mandi Kishan Das area of Sambhal tehsil, Uttar Pradesh, was razed on Monday, June 2, during an anti-encroachment drive.

The district administration, accompanied by a heavy police presence, deployed bulldozers to demolish graves, fencing, and boundary markers at the site, drawing criticism from residents.

While locals claim the cemetery had existed for decades, officials asserted that the land was government-owned and had been registered as a graveyard without legal sanction. They allege that the documents used to mark it as a cemetery were forged.

Tehsildar Dhirendra Pratap Singh, who supervised the operation, stated to Clarion India that “After a complaint was received, both parties were heard. The investigation showed that a graveyard was built on government land without permission.”

Authorities said a report on the demolition would be submitted to the district magistrate, and legal action would be taken against those involved in the alleged forgery.

Locals expressed dismay over the abrupt clearance of the burial site, but no formal objections have yet been issued publicly by those opposing the demolition.