Deoria: Following orders from a local court, the district administration in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria on Sunday, January 11, demolished an illegally-constructed ‘mazar’ (shrine) using bulldozers, officials said.

The structure, known as Hazrat Shaheed Syed Abdul Gani Shah Baba shrine, was located on a barren government land near an overbridge on the Deoria-Gorakhpur Road.

The demolition drive was carried out amid heavy police deployment to prevent any untoward incident, officials said.

The action follows an order by the Sadar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) court, which declared the land as government property and ruled that the shrine was not legally recognised. The court had directed removal of the encroachment after hearing arguments from all parties, they added.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate Shruti Sharma said the demolition was conducted strictly in accordance with legal procedures and in a peaceful manner. “The situation in the area is completely normal,” she said.

The shrine management committee had earlier begun removing items from the premises. Committee president Rashid Khan said they were complying with the court order and extending full cooperation to the administration.

The case dates back to 2019, when local BJP leaders had lodged a complaint over alleged illegal construction on government land.