# Muzaffarnagar madrasa demolished, in-charge arrested 2026-08-24T03:17:05+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet A madrasa in Phulat village, Muzaffarnagar district, was demolished by a bulldozer on Sunday after being declared illegal by the local administration. Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjai Kumar said revenue department inquiries found Darul Uloom Rahimia built on government land designated as a graveyard since 2021. Madrasa in-charge Maulana Hifzurrehman and his two sons, Zuber and Junaid, were arrested on July 6 under charges including criminal intimidation and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. The plot was officially declared government land on August 17, triggering the demolition under police cover. Village head Wasim Ahmed said a notice had already been issued for the madrasa's removal over the encroachment. Those associated with the institution are now clearing the site. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The demolition order stems from a 2021 land dispute where the plot was classified as a graveyard. Under Uttar Pradesh’s strict anti-encroachment drive, any structure on government or community land can be razed without prior notice if declared illegal. The family also faces charges under the state’s 2021 law against unlawful religious conversions, which carries a minimum 10-year sentence. With the madrasa in-charge and his sons already in judicial custody, the next court hearing will determine whether the land designation holds or if the family can claim ownership. Around 50 students were displaced, though no alternative accommodation has been announced yet. ## Coverage - siasat.com leads with police account and mentions village head supporting demolition This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Maulana Hifzurrehman, Muzaffarnagar, Sanjai Kumar, Uttar Pradesh Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/muzaffarnagar-madrasa-demolished-in-charge-arrested/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/muzaffarnagar-madrasa-demolished-in-charge-arrested/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/