Well found beneath demolished mosque debris in UP's Saharanpur, ASI alerted

SAHARANPUR: A nearly 20-foot-deep and around 1.5-metre-wide well was found beneath the debris of a mosque on the Saharanpur collectorate premises on Sunday, officials said, amid an ongoing dispute over the structure.

The well was discovered as workers cleared the debris, a day after the mosque was demolished using bulldozers in an operation that lasted nearly 16 hours on Saturday.

Officials said a slab was spotted at the site during debris removal on Sunday morning. After it was cut open using a cutter, the well was found underneath.

Soon after the discovery, Saharanpur Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Subodh Kumar reached the spot and informed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to ascertain the antiquity and history of the well.

Officials said the well appeared to be around a century old, though its exact age and historical significance would be established only after examination by archaeological experts.

In earlier times, when piped water supply was not available, wells were an important source of water for people. Wells were also traditionally used for water required for ablution and bathing, and several old mosques still have wells in their vicinity.

For the time being, the well has been covered with an iron sheet to prevent soil and debris from falling into it, official said.

Police personnel continue to be deployed at the collectorate premises, and people are not being allowed to approach the site, officials said.

A mosque located within the premises of the district collectorate office was on Saturday demolished amid heavy police deployment.

In 2025, Bajrang Dal regional convener Vikas Tyagi had filed a petition in the court of the city magistrate, alleging that the structure located within the collectorate premises was illegal.

Subsequently, the Saharanpur city magistrate declared the structure illegal and issued an order for its demolition. The mosque management committee appealed against the order in the district court, which on September 2 rejected its appeal.

(With inputs from PTI)