MEERUT, June 21 -- A 70-year-old mosque allegedly built on government pond land in Baghpat district was demolished on Saturday following directions from the Allahabad high court. Officials said the operation, carried out under heavy police deployment, lasted nearly two-and-a-half hours.

The demolition took place in Rajpur-Khampur village, about 10 kilometres from the district headquarters. Around noon, Baraut SDM Bhavna Singh and Baghpat SDM Jyoti Sharma reached the site with a bulldozer, two inspectors and nearly 100 police personnel drawn from two police stations. Authorities razed the structure, locally known as the Takiya Wali Masjid.

During the operation, some residents approached the district magistrate seeking intervention to sto...