By Iqra Fatma, TwoCircles.net
New Delhi: On August 23, the family members of Haji Shahzad Ali, a former vice president of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur, awoke to the threatening sound of JCB excavators. Peering out of a window, they saw a group of policemen accompanied by a medical team and three bulldozers. Without any prior notice, one of the bulldozers smashed through the main gate and began demolishing the “illegal” parts of the 20,000-square-feet luxury mansion.
Within hours, the exterior of the house was completely demolished. The bulldozers were positioned strategically around the property, ensuring that the mansion was reduced to rubble. Three vehicles parked on the premises were also destroyed in the process. Additionally, Shahzad’s brother Azad experienced a similar fate with his house being demolished.
The demolition came in the wake of an alleged violent protest that took place at the Chhatarpur Kotwali police station on August 21. The protest was in response to inflammatory remarks made by Maharashtra-based religious leader Ramgiri Maharaj during an event in Nashik. Shahzad is accused of leading the protest, which demanded the registration of a first information report (FIR) against the priest for his offensive remarks.
According to locals, the police’s refusal to file an FIR before conducting an investigation led to a heated confrontation. This confrontation reportedly escalated into “sudden” stone-pelting, which intensified the situation further. Eye witnesses claimed that “anti-social elements from nearby neighborhoods or other areas” incited the violence, resulting in injuries to four policemen.
An FIR (No. 409/2024) was subsequently filed under various sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against 46 named and 150 unidentified individuals. Following this, a large-scale crackdown was launched, leading to the arrest of around 30 people, including Shahzad and his brother. Shahzad was handcuffed during his arrest, and locals alleged that the accused were paraded from Kotwali to Chowk Bazar, a distance of approximately 2 kilometers, before being rushed to jail instead of being taken directly to court.
The authorities have yet to clarify the legal basis for these actions. Initially, the administration justified the demolition by claiming the house was built on government land. Later, they argued that the house was too close to a water body and that the land belonged to Shahzad Ali but the house’s map was not approved.
This story was originally published in twocircles.net. Read the full story here.
