Local authorities in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Gujarat on Friday used bulldozers to demolish property, including roadside shops and carts, owned by persons arrested for rioting in Khambhat town on April 10. One person had died in the violence that broke out during a procession to mark Ram Navami.
The police said over 30 persons, including a few clerics, had been arrested for their alleged involvement in the “pre-planned” violence. The move comes following similar action against alleged rioters by BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
The local administration said the aim of the drive was to remove encroachments on government land in Khambhat. “A drive against illegal structures, some belonging to those involved in the April 10 violence, was started in Khambhat town of Anand district,” District Collector M.Y. Daxini said.
The Collector said six to seven wooden cabins were removed on Friday using bulldozers and tractors, and the drive would continue in the coming days. “Miscreants had used the cover of bushes and thick vegetation to attack the procession. So we have launched a drive to remove bushes and illegal structures on government land along a road in Shakarpura,” Mr. Daxini said.
‘Halt demolition drive’
Congress legislators Gyasuddin Sheikh and Imran Khedawala termed the demolition drive “unconstitutional” and requested the State Revenue Minister to put a halt to it. The drive being carried out without proper verification and due diligence has hit poor people and their livelihoods have been destroyed, they said. The Opposition MLAs, in a joint statement, said the owners of these properties should be first served notices and given a chance to furnish documents and proof about their legality.
Ajit Rajian, Superintendent of Police of Anand district, said the violence in Khambhat was a “pre-planned conspiracy” hatched by a “sleeper module” to ensure the dominance of the Muslim community in the town. Similar clashes also erupted at Himmatnagar town in the State’s Sabarkantha district.
(With PTI inputs)
