Part of Sambhal MP’s house razed

Steps leading into the house of Sambhal Samajwadi Party MP Zia Ur Rehman, who is facing electricity theft charges, were removed on Friday using a bulldozer as part of an anti-encroachment drive in the Deep Sari area.

A video of the action taken by the authorities was circulated on social media. Officials said the exercise was undertaken amid heavy security as part of a 15-day campaign to clear encroachment from public drains in the district.

Earlier in the day, the Electricity Department imposed a fine of Rs 1.91 crore on Rehman and disconnected the electricity supply to his residence, an official said.

The development follows a police case registered on Thursday against the MP for theft of electricity. His father Mamlukur Rehman Barq was also booked for threatening officials during the inspection at their residence in Deepa Sarai area, they said.

Rehman is among those booked in connection with the November 24 violence in which four locals died in a clash with security personnel during a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid in the city’s Kot Garvi area.

ASI surveys temple, 5 pilgrimage sites

A four-member team of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Saturday conducted a survey of the recently-discovered Shri Kartik Mahadev temple, five ‘teerths’ (pilgrimage sites) and 19 ‘koops’ (wells), said Sambhal DM Rajender Pensiya.