Nagpur Civic Body’s Demolition Action Retaliatory, Claim Riots Accused’s Family Members

The sibling of Yusuf Sheikh, a suspect in the March 17 communal clashes in Nagpur, has blamed the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) for razing part of their residence as an act of “revenge.” Ayaz Sheikh, addressing the media on Monday, said that the house was fully sanctioned and had all the requisite permits and legal documents. He charged that the NMC’s demolition of the balcony was an unwarranted action on the grounds that the building was “unauthorized.”

The demolition drive of the NMC was brought to a stop after the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court acted on petitions filed by Yusuf Sheikh and Fahim Khan, another person who was accused of participating in the violence. Khan’s two-storeyed house was demolished, but the NMC stopped the demolition of Yusuf Sheikh’s building in the Mahal Gate area after the court granted a stay. Ayaz Sheikh also claimed that even after he produced the property documents to the NMC employees, his family was not given a chance to check the validity of the construction at the NMC office and demolition notices were issued anyway.

Ayaz Sheikh stressed that his family had no role in the riots and had been living peacefully with their Hindu neighbors for generations. He complained of the destruction inflicted by the demolition act, arguing that even though the court had intervened, their image had been marred and they had lost money. Nagpur violence had broken out in response to false information regarding a religious event tied to protests conducted by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to demand the dismantling of Aurangzeb’s tomb.