Bulldozer Action In Bahraich Ignoring Supreme Court Instructions? (image-X/Jasonphilip8)
On Sunday, the Allahabad High Court granted 15 days to the 23 residents of Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district to respond to demolition notices received from the Public Works Department (PWD) following their alleged involvement in the communal violence in the region on October 13.
However, videos surfaced online showing that many houses where members of the Muslim community resided have already been bulldozed.
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When I meet God finally, I will definitely report this. This is not Gaza, S.Lebanon or S.Sudan. This is Bhairich in Uttar Pradesh where Muslim houses hv been bulldozed. Despite several SC judgements prohibiting such action, right under the noses of the Media. Where is humanity?😡 pic.twitter.com/omeRl0UYuU
— Dr Jaison Philip. M.S., MCh (@Jasonphilip8) October 20, 2024
On Friday, the PWD carried out “routine” inspections in the Maharajganj area and said that the construction of around 20–25 houses was “illegal” since it was built within 60 feet of the central point of the road in rural areas. District Magistrate Monika Rani stated that the “encroachments” were being removed to widen the Maharajganj roads.
The department served notices to 23 residents, out of which 20 are Muslims, in Maharajganj village. They were asked to vacate their properties within three days as per provisions of the Road Control Act, 1964.
One of the individuals who received the notice is 62-year-old Abdul Hameed, who is accused of killing 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra on October 13. Hameed’s three sons are also accused of the crime.
Meanwhile, three people approached the Supreme Court seeking urgent relief against the demolition action. The court was hearing a public interest litigation by the non-governmental organisation Association for Protection of Civil Rights challenging the proposed action.
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The Allahabad High Court said that it had no reason to believe that the state government would not follow the Supreme Court’s earlier order on demolitions. The bench referred to a September 17 order where the top court had stayed demolitions without its permission till October 1. The court had stated that demolishing the house of a person simply because he is an accused, called “bulldozer justice,” was inconceivable.
Violence broke out during a Durga Puja Visarjan program in UP’s Bahraich when 22-year-old Mishra allegedly climbed onto the roof of the house of Abdul Hameed, took down a green flag that was hoisted there, and raised a saffron flag as a mob downstairs chanted slogans and cheered him on. Hameed allegedly shot at Mishra.
