India, Sept. 5 -- The pre-dawn demolition of a mosque inside the Saharanpur Collectorate complex on Saturday has triggered a political controversy, with Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hasan, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and BSP president Mayawati questioning the haste and manner of the action. The administration, however, maintained that it was implementing a court-backed demolition order.

Bulldozers brought down the structure at around 5 am under heavy security, a day after the District Judge's court on September 4 dismissed an appeal filed by the mosque committee and upheld an earlier City Magistrate's order holding that the structure stood illegally on government land.

The City Magistrate's order, passed in July, had directed the removal o...