NUH FLARE-UP: 100 structures razed on Day 3, owners claim not named in FIR

Sumedha Sharma

Gurugram, August 5

Twelve sites and over 100 establishments were razed on day three at Nuh today, including decade-old chemist shops and labs near Nalhar medical college. The demolition teams, comprising administration officials and police, which initially insisted it was an anti-encroachment drive, announced that the establishments belonged to the accused and suspects. Not all were involved, but according to officials, they can’t pick and choose.

“We are carrying out demolitions following an order, and these people were involved in clashes. Some may not have been named in an FIR, but we can’t pick and choose,” said Nuh SDM Ashwani Kumar, as he led the team at Nalhar. The claims, however, fell flat at Tauru. While all establishments were pulled to the ground, the boundary wall of a farmhouse reportedly belonging to BJP leader Zakir Hussain in Sahsola was spared.

“Innocents are being targeted. Make FIRs public and prove that what you are destroying belongs to mobsters. If you are removing encroachments, why spare the farmhouse of your leader?” asked Nuh MLA Aftab Ahmed.

“No man of my family was at home on July 31, and hearing about the commotion, I myself was hiding at neighbour’s. They came today and pulled down my two-room house, saying that it was illegal. We have been here for 15 years and pay for electricity etc. When I told them that my sons were not named in an FIR, they said their friends must have been. I sold my gold to build this house and it was the last memory of my husband. It has now been reduced to rubble,” said Shakina Bibi, a dweller.

“We are small-time businessmen and sell medicines. We run a house of 10 members. My shop has been here since the medical college was established. We were paying rent to officials. None of us are named in the FIR, but they did not listen to us. I had taken a loan of Rs 5 lakh and don’t know what to do now,” said Abdul, a shopowner.

The worst-hit are residents of 250 shanties, which were demolished at Tauru on day one. Only 100 people here have been mentioned in the FIR, and a majority have valid ID cards and paid a rent of Rs 800 per month to local Hindu residents.

“We are daily wagers from Bengal. Now, we have no food and shelter. People are not helping us because they are scared of the police. We feel insecure and don’t sleep at night,” said Safooja Khatun, a domestic help.

The police has, meanwhile, registered over 56 FIRs and arrested 146 people, while over 30 have been detained. No communal incident was reported during the day today and curfew was relaxed for three hours.