MP: After 3 Homes Razed Over Dispute at Garba Pandal, 5 More Muslim Families Served Eviction Orders (The Wire)

The Mandsaur district administration had already demolished three houses belonging to Muslim families, and cited lack of 'building permission' as a reason for the demolitions.

Representational image. Demolition drive of illegal structures at the site, where communal clash had broken out on Ram Navami procession, in Himmatnagar, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Photo: PTI

By Kashif Kakvi / The Wire

Bhopal: There seems to be no end to ‘bulldozer injustice’ in Madhya Pradesh.

A fresh set of demolition orders were issued to five houses belonging to Muslim families of Surjani village in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur district on Friday evening.

These orders came 48 hours after the homes of three other Muslim families of the village had been razed to the ground over an allegation of stone pelting at a Garba pandal during a tiff that broke out over rash driving by a 14-year-old boy.

On October 4, the homes of three Muslims were razed to the ground by the Mandsaur district administration for not having “building permission”.

The action came after the names of their family members surfaced amongst the 19 people who were named for allegedly instigating an attack on 32-year-old Shivlal Patidar and his friend outside the Garba pandal and also pelting stones on the pandal. Their homes were demolished within 24 hours of serving notice.

In the latest case, the ‘Bedakhli’ (eviction) order was passed on the evening of October 7 and was pasted outside the homes of Abdul Gaffar Pathan, Abdul Rasheed, Amjad Pathan, Faiz Mohammad Pathan and Riyaz Pathan, residents of Surjani village.

Apart from the ‘Bedakhli’ order, the Sitamau Naib Tehsildar court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on each family for allegedly building a pakka house encroaching government lands. “…you were informed to remove the encroachment today from the government land and inform the court. And also submit the penalty in the court,” the order reads.

“If you didn’t comply with the court order, the court will take action under Section 248 (2-A) of the MP Land Revenue Code 1959. The expense of removing encroachment by the district administration will be charged to you,” the order reads.

Gulshana Bi, wife of Amjad Pathan, who has been served a notice by the court, alleged, “With an intention to stop us from going to higher courts or appeal to senior officials, the administration served notices on Friday evening. We can only reach out to the court on Monday, but by then the administration may demolish our homes.”

This story was originally published in thewire.in . Read the full story here

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