Following in the footsteps of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar took bulldozer action against Nuh rioters, but he probably did not know that the Punjab Haryana High Court could take suo moto cognizance of his action. Taking suo moto cognizance, on the morning of Monday, 7 August, the Punjab Haryana High Court put an immediate stay on the bulldozer action by the Khattar administration. Now the incident will be called the misfortune of Nuh that first saw firing and stone pelting on the Shobha Yatra of the Hindu majority community, then the bulldozer action on rioters by the administration. Perhaps the High Court’s intervention is fortunate since it at least saved those who were forced to grind “like a weevil with wheat” in the action of the administration.
After the violence in Haryana’s Nuh on 31 July, the High Court stayed the ongoing bulldozer action on illegal constructions. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has taken suo motu cognizance of this matter. On 31 July, there was violence in Nuh during the Braj Mandal Yatra, in which six people died. While taking action on behalf of the government, the buildings and shops of the accused involved in the continuous violence in Nuh are being demolished. It is alleged that there were many illegal constructions here and hotels where the rioters pelted stones, were also built illegally. Haryana Police is identifying all such buildings from where stones were hurled.
Sub-divisional magistrate Ashwini Kumar said the structures that were demolished were built illegally and were used by “goons” for stone-pelting during the recent violence. Earlier on Saturday, the district administration had run bulldozers on illegal construction at 12 different places including 2.6 acres of land around Nalhar Medical College.
Authorities carried out a bulldozer operation for the fourth consecutive day following communal clashes in Nuh. During this, a three-storey hotel was also demolished. The administration said “The hotel was built illegally”. Goons and anti-social elements pelted stones on the Shobha Yatra from the roof of this hotel. According to the information, 162 permanent and 591 temporary platforms made illegally have been demolished so far. The administration said that 57.5 acres of land have been freed from illegal encroachment in 37 places. The district administration on Saturday carried out bulldozers on illegal construction at 12 different places, including 2.6 acres of land around Nalhar Medical College also.
