Bahraich Communal Violence: Residents Vacate Home, Shops Fearing Demolition After 'Illegal Structure' Notices

The crackdown comes days after a 22-year-old Hindu man--Ram Gopal Mishra-- was shot dead in the Maharajganj area of the district during a communal flare-up on October 13.

Bahraich News: Shopkeepers in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich vacated their shops as they scrambled to salvage their goods on Saturday, as they feared a demolition drive by the authorities, a week after a man died during the Durga Puja procession, triggering communal tensions in the district. So far, authorities have arrested 87 people in connection with the communal violence in Bahraich and served demolition notices to 23 establishments.

According to a local lawmaker, of 23 establishments that received demolition notices from the Public Works Department – 20 belonged to Muslims.

Violence Started On October 13

The crackdown comes days after a 22-year-old Hindu man--Ram Gopal Mishra-- was shot dead in the Maharajganj area of the district during a communal flare-up on October 13. Mishra was part of a Durga idol procession passing through the Maharajganj area when he was shot.

A video which circulated after the incident showed him removing a green flag from the rooftop of a house in a frenzy and supplanting it with a saffron flag. He was shot immediately afterwards. Following the killing, the district teetered on edge for days, with incidents of arson and vandalism witnessed from across its areas, forcing the authorities to suspend the internet for four days.

Five men, suspected to be involved in Mishra's death, were arrested on October 17 after an encounter with the UP Police in which two of them suffered gunshot injuries. The five were allegedly trying to flee to Nepal, which shares a border with Bahraich. They were identified as Mohammad Faheen, Mohammad Sarfaraz, Abdul Hameed, Mohammad Taleem alias Sabloo, and Mohammad Afzal.

At least 11 FIRs had been registered in connection with Mishra's killing till Friday and around 1,000 people were booked. By October 18, the UP Police had nabbed 87 people in Bahriach in connection with the rioting.

Moreover, Circle Officer Rupendra Gaur, Tehsildar Ravikant Dwivedi and District Information Officer Ghulam Waris Siddiqui were also removed from their positions after the violence, while a station house officer and a police outpost in charge were suspended. 

On Saturday, Samajwadi Party leader Mata Prasad Pandey was stopped from coming to Bahraich through an advance notice by the collector. The Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly said he was told not to go to Bahraich as the situation may get worse there. "If something goes wrong, they will blame us. The organisation has also given me the same advice and the DM has also asked me to come only after three days," Pandey said.

'Bulldozer Justice'

The PWD on Friday carried out inspections in the Mahrajganj area and took measurements of 20-25 houses, including that of Abdul Hameed, one of the men accused of having a role in the killing of Ram Gopal Mishra on Sunday. Following this, demolition notices were served to 23 establishments.

According to the notice put up at Hameed's house, the PWD said the construction was "illegal" since it was built within 60 feet of the central point of the road in rural areas, which is not allowed. The notice asked Hameed to vacate the construction within three days or it would be demolished "and the expenses incurred for this action will be recovered from you through revenue means."

An official on the condition of anonymity told news agency PTI that it was a routine exercise conducted annually "to demolish houses built on the intersections, S curves or junction points of the road." The person said the illegal houses identified will be served notices under the Road Control Act 1964.

Meanwhile, District Magistrate Monika Rani on Friday told reporters that the "encroachments" were being removed to widen the roads in Mahrajganj.

BJP MLA from Mahsi, Sureshwar Singh, told PTI, "People are vacating their shops. Those who don't will be dealt with by the administration." Of the shops served notices, "three belong to Hindus, while 20 belong to Muslims," he said. "In all, there are around 50 shops. Barring one or two, most of them on the Mahrajganj bypass may face action," he said, adding, that no one will be spared whatever maybe their religion.

Sonu Maurya, who runs an eatery on rent, said he was asked by his landlord to vacate the shop and take out his merchandise before it gets demolished. "I have a shop in Bhagwanpur, eight kilometres away from Maharajganj. The landlord told me that a notice of encroachment had been put on his construction and if a demolition took place, I would suffer losses," Maurya, who was on his way to Bhagwanpur, told PTI.