Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai, others detained as row over Saharanpur mosque demolition escalates
Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai and other party leaders were briefly detained by police while attempting to visit the site of a demolished mosque in Saharanpur. The opposition party has condemned the demolition and the subsequent police action as authoritarian.
Why it matters
The incident underscores rising communal and political tensions in India regarding the demolition of religious structures and the government's handling of political dissent.
Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday (September 7, 2026) detained senior state Congress leaders including State Congress President Ajay Rai in Lucknow after they attempted to visit Saharanpur over the demolition of a historic mosque within the Saharanpur Collectorate complex.
The Congress described the police action as dictatorship, adding the administration is working on the directions of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to silence the voices of opposition. Mr. Rai and other Congress leaders were released in the evening after hours of detention.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in