Nine religious shrines, including mosques and dargahs, were razed on Saturday as part of a demolition drive to clear encroachments in the Veraval area of Gir-Somnath district in Gujarat.
The demolition drive, which began at 5.30am on Saturday in Veraval’s Prabhas Patan town near the Somnath temple, saw over 1,000 police officers help clear 102 acres of government land worth ₹32 crore from encroachments, said Gir-Somnath district collector DD Jadeja. At least 120 people were detained during the drive.
“This is one of the largest anti-encroachment drives in the state in recent years where nine religious sites including mosques and dargahs were demolished as they were built illegally,” said Jadeja. “Also,one illegal lodge with 40 rooms was also demolished.”
The district collector said that the administration had given a notice of more than 15 days to remove the encroachments but there was no response, which led to Saturday’s demolition drive.
The law and order situation is under control in the area, and no untoward incidents have occurred, police said, adding that the administration was in the process of clearing the debris.
This story was originally published in hindustantimes.com. Read the full story here.
