Demolition drive in riot-hit area not an isolated incident

NEW DELHI • More than a thousand policemen went to riot-hit Jahangirpuri district in New Delhi last Wednesday with seven bulldozers in tow to raze buildings constructed illegally.

While the Indian capital is ruled by the Aam Aadmi Party, last Wednesday's action was led by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, which is governed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Halted by a Supreme Court order, the demolition drive in a riot-hit, communally sensitive area was not an isolated incident in the country.

The authorities maintain that it was a routine drive against illegal construction.

In Gujarat, the Times of India reported that several properties owned by those accused of participating in riots on April 10 were demolished. One person was killed during the riots and 30 people were arrested, the Indian media reported. The riots had broken out during a religious procession to mark the Hindu festival of Ram Navami.

In Madhya Pradesh state, the government demolished several shops and houses in a locality where communal violence also broke out during a Ram Navami procession on April 11. One person was killed, and vehicles and houses were destroyed in the violence.