Bahraich violence: Allahabad High Court on Sunday (October 20) put a stay on Uttar Pradesh's Public Works Department (PWD) notices to demolish properties belonging to the accused in the Bahraich violence case. The court also granted 15 days time to the affected persons to respond to PWD notices.
The Lucknow bench of the court said the persons concerned may file their responses to the notices within 15 days and directed the state authorities to consider the said replies and a pass reasoned order on those.
The next hearing of the case is scheduled to take place three days later, on October 23.
A bench of Justices A R Masoodi and Subhash Vidyarthi passed the order on a public interest litigation (PIL) plea filed by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights.
Demolition notices for Bahraich shopkeepers
On Saturday, PWD had pasted notices on the houses and shops of 23 people, including Abdul Hameed, the main accused of Bahraich violence. The notice was put up by the PWD to remove encroachment on the government road. The construction made at a distance of 60 feet from the middle of the rural road was asked to be removed in three days.
This action follows the shooting of a 22-year-old Hindu man in the Maharajganj area of the district amid rising communal tensions.
Pleas in Supreme Court against demolitions
Meanwhile, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court to stop the proposed bulldozer action after the Bahraich violence. Through the petition, a demand has been made to cancel the notices given by the Uttar Pradesh government and to stop the bulldozer action. On receiving the notice here, people are evacuating their houses themselves and taking the goods to another place. There was a stir in the area after the notice was received from the PWD.
The petition has been filed on behalf of three named accused or family members of Bahraich violence. It has been claimed in the petition that the properties on which bulldozer action has been talked about are 10 to 70 years old and the owners of the properties are daily wage labourers and farmers by profession.
Bahraich violence
Ram Gopal Mishra (22) died of gunshot injuries after an inter-faith dispute over loud music being played outside a place of worship in Maharajganj on October 13. The incident triggered communal violence, leading to arson and vandalism in the area and internet suspension for four days, during which people largely remained indoors.
From October 13 to October 16, at least 11 FIRs were registered in the district in connection with Mishra's killing and the ensuing violence in which hundreds of unidentified rioters have been booked, according to the officials. Cases were registered against around 1,000 people, including six named individuals.
A station house officer (SHO) and a police outpost in-charge have been suspended in the wake of the communal violence, while Circle Officer Rupendra Gaur, Tehsildar Ravikant Dwivedi and District Information Officer Ghulam Waris Siddiqui have been removed from their positions.
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