Bareilly violence aftermath: Bulldozers roll, demolition drive launched against wedding hall owned by accused
Meanwhile, the municipal corporation carried out an anti-encroachment drive using bulldozers in the Sailani area of Bareilly.
Even as the district administration intensified action against the illegal properties of those accused in the September 26 Bareilly violence, the Bareilly Development Authority (BDA) launched a demolition drive against the wedding hall Raza Palace, owned by a key accused Nafees Khan alias Dr Nafees, in Zakheera.
Heavy police deployment was made at the site before the action began. In a parallel move, the BDA sealed a three-storey house in Faiq Enclave, where Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza had taken refuge during the unrest.
Meanwhile, the municipal corporation carried out an anti-encroachment drive using bulldozers in the Sailani area of the city.
Nafees and his son are already lodged in jail. His commercial market had earlier been sealed by the administration following the violence. On Saturday, police personnel arrived at Raza Palace in large numbers as officials prepared for further action. Inspector Subhash from Qila police station said the deployment was made under the orders of senior officers, though it was initially unclear whether the property would be sealed or demolished. Later, BDA officials confirmed the demolition.
Bareilly Development Authority vice chairman Manikandan A said that the building was constructed in violation of approved norms.
“The action has been taken strictly according to legal procedure. It is not targeted at any individual,” he said.
The demolition began with three bulldozers, first bringing down the main gate of the wedding hall, followed by other structures.
In Bareilly’s Faiq Enclave, the BDA sealed the three-storey residence of accused Farhat, where Maulana Tauqeer Raza had stayed on September 26. He was arrested from the same house following the violence. Farhat and another accused, Farhan, are currently in jail for providing shelter to Tauqeer Raza. The BDA had earlier issued a notice on October 1, directing Baradari police to get the premises vacated before October 3. However, no action was taken until Saturday afternoon, when the BDA team, accompanied by police, carried out the sealing operation.
Separately, the municipal corporation team demolished illegal encroachments outside shops and houses in the Sailani market area. Municipal commissioner Sanjeev Kumar Maurya clarified that this drive was not directly related to the Bareilly violence but part of a routine anti-encroachment campaign.
“The municipal corporation carries out drives at various locations and at different times to remove temporary encroachments on roads and drains. Here in the Sailani Market, a drive was launched to remove temporary encroachments to ease traffic flow,” he said.
The operation, led by Maurya, was conducted under heavy police protection.
