Illegal mazar in Etawah forest area demolished

Kanpur: Forest Department demolished a mazar on Sayyed Shah Baba’s grave, built on 3,000 sq ft govt land, in Fisher Forest area, 1.5 km from Etawah, after the caretaker failed to prove its legal status. The operation began late Wednesday evening and continued into the late-night hours. Three bulldozers brought down the mazar in around seven hours.Forest department cleared the location and planted trees in place of the structure. The caretaker kept asserting that the mazar was 800 years old, while forest department justified the action saying it was encroaching govt land. Over 20 police personnel were stationed and entry and movement were restricted on the route. Bulldozer removed the mazar by 1 am.In Jan, a complaint regarding the ‘Beehad Wale Sayyed Baba’ mazar was submitted by Hindu organisations on the CM portal, stating that the structure was illegal. Forest department conducted enquiry and issued directions for the mazar to be removed. The caretaker approached the court, but the plea was dismissed. On Wednesday, the caretaker removed all property belonging to the mazar.On Jan 5, the DM office received order stating that the mazar stood on forest department land, and that an investigation should be conducted and a report filed.Forest range officer Ashok Kumar Sharma said the mazar was in Compartment Number-3 of the Fisher forest and according to records and gazettes of 1916, 1936, and 1946, the land is registered in the name of forest department. “Under Forest Conservation Act 1980, no non-forest activity can be carried out on this land without permission of Central govt,” he stated.On Jan 23, forest department prohibited religious activities at the mazar and filed a suit in the court of district forest officer. On Mar 28, final chance was provided, but mazar defendants failed to produce legal documents and court directed the mazar to be removed.Caretaker Fazl e Ilahi, appealed against DFOr’s order before the Forest Conservator in Kanpur and asked for the demolition order to be cancelled. Athe hearing, forest conservator too dismissed the appeal. This year, there was no ‘Urs’ in February.There is no official record indicating when the mazar was built, who built it, or when it was established.