A tense situation prevailed in Uttam Nagar during a demolition drive by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Saturday, although it was unrelated to the murder of a 26-year-old man that took place in an altercation between two families belonging to different communities on the festival of Holi.
The drive on the day took place near the Uttar Nagar police station, with the MCD demolishing parts of several shops and small eateries that were encroaching upon public land.
Locals said that the site of the demolition drive is located around 1.5 to 2 kilometres from the location of a previous demolition drive, wherein a part of a residence belonging to one of the accused was razed on March 8. Following this, two other residents—one, a family member of a person who was questioned, and another, a family member of one of the accused—approached the Delhi High Court seeking a stay on MCD action, and the court on Wednesday ordered the same for the duration of a week.
On March 4, 26-year-old Tarun Kumar was killed in a clash between his family and their neighbours in Hastsal Village. Police said the fight started over a water balloon hitting a woman. Until now, the Delhi Police has held 16 persons, including two minors, in connection with the case.
The civic agency on Saturday launched action against a row of shops and small restaurants near the police station. Locals said that the most of the shops belonged to owners or tenants belonging to the Muslim community.
Shakun, a local, said, “We received panic calls from neighbours and rushed to the Thana Road where the demolition was taking place. These shops have been here for decades. Why the sudden action? No notice or anything. They have removed at least six shops. People from our community are being targeted here by religious groups and authorities since Tarun’s murder.”
Amid high security, the MCD and the Delhi Police started the drive around noon. An official at the site said the operation involved bulldozers and multiple teams from the municipal corporation.
Police said adequate security arrangements were made during the drive as a large number of locals gathered near the spot to witness the action. The official at the site said that the action was part of an ongoing crackdown against illegal encroachments and unauthorised commercial activities in the area.
Checking misinformation
The Delhi Police on Saturday said they are looking for those involved in spreading misinformation related to the murder case.
Deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh said that they froze the bank account of a person linked to the family of the accused, who sought financial help after 16 of its members were held. The accused have been booked for murder and under provisions of Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Soon after the arrests, one of the family members of the accused, a woman, shared posts on social media alleging that the fight was not over because her aunt was molested by the family of the victim. People on social media shared her posts, in which she had also shared that one of her brothers was missing.
DCP Singh had the social media users were spreading misinformation. “People are trying to mobilise funds by circulating false narratives related to the case. We are looking for those people and strict action will be taken” he said.