Indian media ANI has reported that the city administration in Priyagraj, formerly Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, started demolishing the house of...
Indian media ANI has reported that the city administration in Priyagraj, formerly Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, started demolishing the house of Welfare Party of India activist Javed Muhammad, declaring it illegal.
Earlier on Sunday, the Priyagraj Development Authority had asked Javed Mohammad's family to vacate the house by 11 am.
The Priyagraj Development Authority claimed that it had issued a show cause notice to Javed Mohammad on May 10 and asked him to appear for the hearing on May 24. However, Javed Mohammad did not comply with the notice.
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Javed Mohammad's youngest daughter Soumya Fatima told Scroll. Talking to him, he said that our family was not given any notice regarding the alleged illegality of his house. Javed Mohammad's lawyer also questioned the legal status of demolition of the house. He also raised the question and claimed that this house belongs to his wife but the order issued by the administration did not even mention his wife's name.
On Saturday, police arrested Javed Mohammad for allegedly staging violent protests against two leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for allegedly making insulting remarks about the Prophet of Islam.
Sumia Fatima told Scroll-A that she and her mother were also detained on Saturday and released on Sunday morning.
Although there is no provision under Indian law to demolish the home of a convict for a crime, this practice is regularly observed in the states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
'No prior notice'
Javed Mohammad's daughter Soumya Fatima Scroll told him further that the administration had not issued any notice about the house being illegal, this is the first notice we received last night, ie last Saturday. Didn't even talk to us about it, if our property was really illegal then why didn't they give us this notice first, this is an incredibly difficult time for us.
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"She and her mother Parveen Fatima, 50, were arrested by Priyagraj police at around 12.30 pm on Sunday night and taken to the city's Civil Lines Women's Police Station. They asked us strange questions as we What kind of conversations do we have at home and what kind of posts do we share, they were trying to get some controversial things out of us.
Sumia Fatima added that while the female police officers were interrogating her, a male officer abused her mother and said that force should be used to "tell the truth" to her.
Police also called Sumia Fatima and her mother Parveen Fatima and asked them to vacate the house. After their release on Sunday, Sumia Fatima and Parveen Fatima were taken to their relatives' house instead of their own house. He was told not to leave the place, adding that his family did not yet know his father's whereabouts.
Petition filed against house demolition
Javed Mohammad's family lawyer Kamal Krishna Rai told Scroll-A that a petition has been filed in the Allahabad High Court challenging the demolition of the house.
In a letter written to the Chief Justice by lawyer Kamal Krishna Rai Rai and other lawyers, it was stated that the house was registered in the name of Parveen Fatima, wife of Javed Muhammad.
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Lawyer Kamal Krishna Rai told Scroll. He was told that the house was given as a gift by her father Parveen Fatima. The notice has been issued in the name of Javed Mohammad while the property is not his property.
The letter to the Chief Justice said that any attempt by the district administration, police and development authority to demolish the house would be against the basic principle of law and would be a serious injustice to Javed Muhammad's wife and children.
The letter further stated that Javed Mohammad's family had not received any show cause notice as mentioned in the demolition orders.
Lawyer Kamal Krishna Rai Rai added that he expects an early hearing of the petition.
Muhammad was arrested on Saturday.
I
Uttar Pradesh police arrested Javed Mohammad on Saturday after some protesters pelted stones at police after Friday prayers in Atala area of Priyagraj, former Allahabad.
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Police have described Javed Muhammad as a mastermind of the protest, a diabetic patient and a daily insulin.
Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Kumar had alleged that Javed Mohammad had also consulted his daughter, student activist Aafreen Fatima about the protest.
Aafreen Fatima told Al Jazeera: "First the police took my father away at 8.30 pm and then came back at 11.30 pm and arrested my mother and sister. Then they came to my house for the third time at 2.30 pm and Tried to arrest me.
"We resisted, after which the police surrounded my house," he said.
"There are only women and bells in the house now. We are nervous and in shock. The police have told us to leave the house," he said.
"I don't know where my parents and sister are, I'm worried about their safety, my father is diabetic and they have to get insulin injections every night," he said.
Sumia Fatima said police tried to arrest her and her sister-in-law.
Scenes from the front on Saturday night showed several policemen at the home of Javed Muhammad and Aafreen Fatima.
On Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath had said that stern action would be taken against anti-social elements trying to destabilize the law and order situation.
He further added that not a single innocent person will be disturbed and not a single culprit will be forgiven.
State BJP chief Swatan Taradev Singh supported the demand for demolition of the houses of the accused involved in the violence, saying those whose houses are in the shadow of bulldozers do not throw stones at others.
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On Saturday, the Kanpur Development Authority demolished a four-storey building owned by a close associate of the main accused in last week's violence in the city.
At least 40 people were injured in violence in Kanpur on June 3 following remarks by BJP leaders about the Prophet Muhammad.
The now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nopur Sharma made derogatory remarks during a discussion on Times Now television channel on May 26, while Naveen Jundal, the media head of the BJP Delhi unit, made the remarks on June 1. Naveen Jundal was expelled from the party on June 5 after he tweeted about the Prophet of Islam.
This article was originally published by Scroll-in, which has been republished with permission.
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