Demolition notices strike fear in Bahraich shopkeepers, many vacate

Lucknow/Bahraich (UP): Shopkeepers in Bahraich scrambled to salvage their goods on Saturday, apprehending a demolition drive by the authorities.

According to a local lawmaker, the Public Works Department has served demolition notices to 23 establishments – 20 of them belonging to Muslims.

The crackdown comes days after a 22-year-old Hindu man was shot dead in the Maharajganj area of the district during a communal flare-up.

BJP MLA from Mahsi, Sureshwar Singh, told PTI, "People are vacating their shops. Those who don't, will be dealt with by the administration." Of the shops served notices, "three belong to Hindus, while 20 belong to Muslims," he said.

"In all, there are around 50 shops. Barring one or two, most of them on the Mahrajganj bypass may face action," he said, adding, no one will be spared whatever maybe their religion.

Sonu Maurya, who runs an eatery on rent, said he was asked by his landlord to vacate the shop and take out his merchandise before it gets demolished.

"I have a shop in Bhagwanpur, eight kilometres away from Maharajganj. The landlord told me that a notice of encroachment had been put on his construction and if a demolition took place, I would suffer losses," Maurya, who was on his way to Bhagwanpur, told PTI.

Samiullah, Sabina, and Rani Jaiswal, all locals, claimed they were being selectively targeted.

The PWD on Friday carried out inspections in the Mahrajganj area and took measurements of 20-25 houses, including that of Abdul Hameed, one of the men accused of having a role in the killing of Ram Gopal Mishra on Sunday.

An official on the condition of anonymity said it was a routine exercise conducted annually "to demolish houses built on the intersections, S curves or junction points of the road." The person said the illegal houses identified will be served notices under the Road Control Act 1964.

According to the notice put up at Abdul Hameed's house, the PWD said the construction was "illegal" since it was built within 60 feet of the central point of the road in rural areas, which is not allowed.

The notice asked Hameed to vacate the construction within three days or it would be demolished "and the expenses incurred for this action will be recovered from you through revenue means." District Magistrate Monika Rani on Friday told reporters that the "encroachments" were being removed to widen the roads in Mahrajganj.

On Saturday, Samajwadi Party leader Mata Prasad Pandey was stopped from coming to Bahraich through an advance notice by the collector.

The Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly said he was told not to go to Bahraich as the situation may get worse there.

"If something goes wrong, they will blame us. The organisation has also given me the same advice and the DM has also asked me to come only after three days," Pandey said.

By Friday, the UP Police had nabbed 87 people in Bahriach in connection with the rioting.

Ram Gopal Mishra was part of a Durga idol procession passing through the Maharajganj area on Sunday when he was shot.

A video which circulated after the incident showed him removing a green flag from the rooftop of a house in a frenzy and supplanting it with a saffron flag. He was shot immediately afterwards.

The district teetered on edge for days in the wake of the killing with incidents of arson and vandalism witnessed from across its areas, forcing the authorities to suspend the internet for four days.

Five men suspected to be involved in Mishra's death were arrested on Thursday after an encounter with the UP Police in which two of them suffered gunshot injuries.

The five were allegedly trying to flee to Nepal, which shares a border with Bahraich.

They were identified as Mohammad Faheen, Mohammad Sarfaraz, Abdul Hameed, Mohammad Taleem alias Sabloo, and Mohammad Afzal.

At least 11 FIRs had been registered in connection with Mishra's killing till Friday and around 1,000 people were booked.

Circle Officer Rupendra Gaur, Tehsildar Ravikant Dwivedi and District Information Officer Ghulam Waris Siddiqui were removed from their positions after the violence.

A station house officer and a police outpost in charge were suspended.