New Delhi: The residents of a house in Bhopal’s Banganga area that was demolished by the municipal corporation on August 27 claimed that the act was retribution for a relative of theirs getting into a scuffle with a municipality official.On August 20, tea stall owner Altaf Khan had reportedly slapped Kamar Sakib – an official of the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) – during an anti-encroachment drive as part of which his stall was to be removed. A week later, a house in which Altaf’s mother lives – but is actually owned by Altaf’s cousins – was demolished. The family claims this was done only to “avenge” what transpired with the BMC official.The municipal corporation, however, claims that the house was built illegally.A case was registered against Altaf, Aijaz Baig and Manoj Lodhi on August 20 at the TT Nagar police station based on a complaint by Kamar Sakib. The trio was booked under Sections 353 (attacking a public servant), 294 (obscenity), 506 (criminal intimidation), 323 (causing hurt), and section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).While both Aijaz and Manoj were arrested after a first information report (FIR) was registered, the whereabouts of Altaf are not known. His family claims that his phone is switched off and his location is untraceable as he did not return home after the scuffle on August 20.In the FIR accessed by The Wire, the anti-encroachment official states that he was abused when he was processing a drive in the New Market region of Bhopal. Sakib states that he was obstructed whilst he was trying to remove the tea and snacks stall run by Altaf. He alleges that he and his staff were threatened by the three men and swear words were hurled at him.Following this – on the morning of August 27 – a team of police and BMC officials reached the house where Altaf Khan’s mother Kanija Bi lives, situated in the Banganga area, and demolished it. Shabista Zaki, the leader of the opposition in the BMC, tried to stop the demolition. She was told that the drive was being carried out as the structure of Altaf’s residence is illegal.“पहले मुस्लिम युवक की दुकान उजाड़ी, दुकान बचाने के लिए युवक नगर निगम टीम से भिड़ गया, नगर-निगम ने हमला बताकर उसे जेल में डालकर घर पर बिल्डोजर चला दिया”मध्यप्रदेश के भोपाल में अल्ताफ़ बेग से अब सब कुछ छिन गया है। pic.twitter.com/DcZUGQssSv— Satya Prakash Bharti (@Satyamooknayak) August 29, 2022During the demolition, Altaf’s mother Kanija Bi was reportedly manhandled and suffered injuries.The Wire spoke to Altaf’s cousin Irshad Baig, whose family owns the house, about what transpired. He stated, “We could not go close to our house when it was being demolished. We were not given any notice, we found out only at 12 pm. Altaf’s mother has suffered injuries on her hands and other areas as she was dragged out of the house when it was being demolished. She had to be admitted for treatment and has now been given discharged.”On the basis of a complaint filed by Altaf’s mother Kanija Bi and Shabista Zaki, the Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission has issued notice to the Bhopal collector, the municipal corporation’s commissioner and the additional commissioner of police.Speaking to The Wire, Shabista Zaki said, “The land patta was allotted to the Kanija Bi’s cousin under the PM Awas Yojana in 2017. After which they built a house. Altaf’s cousins built the house with their own money. Since Altaf slapped the official, they came in and demolished the house where his mother lives. It is raining heavily and she is a widow. The family is suffering greatly.”She added, “As far as the shop is concerned, it was also given by the municipal corporation. It is also routine that during anti-encroachment drives, scuffles break out. However, no official has the right to demolish anyone’s house. If an FIR was already registered, the demolition should not have taken place.”The complaint to the Human Rights Commission stated that the BMC did not comply with the state government’s Street Vendor Livelihood Protection Act, 2017. The complainants requested the Commission to take action against the concerned officer and provide compensation to the family.The Wire reached out to BMC commissioner K.V.S. Choudhary. No response was received.Over the past few months, several BJP-led governments have demolished houses of people accused of crimes. Though they claim that the demolitions were conducted because the structures were illegal, critics have said that the idea of “bulldozer justice” should be put to an end. Petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court to stop governments from arbitrarily raze houses of people.With inputs from Kashif Kakvi.
