Punjab and Haryana High Court stays demolitions taking place in Nuh

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday took suo motu cognizance of demolitions being carried out in violence-hit Nuh in Haryana and stayed all demolitions.

A Bench comprising Justice GS Sandhwalia passed orders to stay demolitions in Nuh till further orders, news reports said.

The High Court, while restraining the state government from carrying out demolition drive in Nuh, also issued notice to the Haryana Government and sought its response.

Bulldozing of illegal constructed buildings in communal violence-hit Nuh was being carried out by authorities and they said that rioters used some of the buildings were used for pelting stones by mob on a procession being carried out by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) last week.

Nuh district authorities started demolition drive in Nuh on Thursday and the authorities said that a total of 162 permanent and 591 makeshift structures built illegally were razed in the area and 57.5 acres land across 37 sites were made encroachment-free during the demolition drive.

Six people lost their lives in the communal violence in Nuh after clashes erupted following mob attack on a VHP procession on Monday.

Several First Information Reports have been registered and several persons have been nabbed by the police in its investigation into the communal violence and the authorities have said that further investigation into the violence is ongoing.

Bulldozer action by the authorities have been questioned by some opposition political parties, who have accused the state government of targetting a particular community.

Saket Gokhale, TMC leader and Rajya Sabha MP, accused the Nuh district administration of demolishing houses and shops belonging to Muslims.

“For the last 2 days, the Nuh District Administration has been demolishing houses and shops belonging to Muslims who they claim are “illegal immigrants & Rohingyas encroaching on govt land,” Gokhale claimed on Twitter, adding that he has written to Nuh Sub-divisional Magistrate Ashwani Kumar seeking an explanation.