MP: Amid Supreme Court Order, BJP MLA Bulldozes Wall Of Muslim Settlement
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh: Defying a Supreme Court order on bulldozer justice, Prateep Patel, BJP MLA from Mauganj, Madhya Pradesh, demolished the boundary wall of a Muslim settlement near Mahadevan temple in Devara village. The incident was reported to have taken place on Tuesday evening.
As per the Clarion India report, the legislator arrived at the scene accompanied by his supporters and a JCB to demolish the structures. The demolition was ordered, claiming that the settlement was built on encroached land.
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It was alleged that Patel attempted to evict residents from a plot of land in Khatkari village, where 43 families, including 7 tribal and 13 Hindu, have been living for generations.
The chaos erupted when a Hindu group came in claiming that a boundary wall in the land was encroached by the Muslims. However, the Muslims in the region had obtained a stay order from the court, preventing any administrative action to remove the alleged encroachment.
However, despite the court order, the Hindu group intensified its protests three days ago, demanding immediate action. On Sunday, a local Hindu leader, Santosh Tiwari, started an indefinite fast demanding the removal of the encroachment on the 9-acre land near the temple. He alleged that 90 percent of the land has been encroached upon by members of the Muslim community and the rest is under the control of Dalits.
The conflict escalated to such a degree that the authorities were ordered to arrest MLA Patel as the locals in the region resorted to stone-pelting, which had resulted in injuries to several persons.
Despite repeated efforts by officials to dissuade him, the demolition continued, triggering violence.
To prevent further unrest in the region, additional police forces have been deployed at the site to prevent further unrest.
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In a statement released by the collector, it was said that MLA Patel was arrested to de-escalate the situation. However, the arrest has sparked anger among Hindus, who now strongly oppose the administration’s action.
Meanwhile, the district administration has refrained from issuing further comments on the incident.
