BAREILLY: A petrol pump owned by Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Shazil Islam Ansari was demolished by bulldozers in Bareilly on Thursday soon after a video went viral on social media purportedly showing him making “objectionable” remarks against UP CM Yogi Adityanath and some BJP members at a recent party event.
The Bhojipura MLA had later said that his statement was “misinterpreted”.
An FIR was registered against the MLA and other SP workers following a complaint lodged by Hindu Yuva Vahini members on Sunday. Police booked the MLA under IPC sections 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot), 504 (intentional insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation) the next day.
‘The pump was constructed illegally’
Bareilly Development Authority (BDA) officials meanwhile said that the petrol pump was constructed without approval and the MLA had been given sufficient time to present his case.
A team of BDA officials with heavy police force arrived at the fuel station on Thursday even as customers were still refueling their vehicles. They were told to immediately leave the premises and after handing over a demolition notice to the pump manager, officials started using bulldozers to bring down the structure.
Executive engineer, BDA, Rajeev Dikshit said, “The petrol pump was constructed illegally and it was razed following the necessary guidelines. The owner was given sufficient opportunity to present his case. BDA is taking action against such people.”
BDA's official statement read: "Construction work of ‘Sharf filling station’ was illegally done by Shazil Islam on a plot of about 1,000 sqm on the Delhi-Bareilly national highway. A notice was served to Shazil under relevant sections in July 2020. He was given sufficient time to prove that the map was passed by BDA. Subsequently, demolition orders were issued on March 31, 2021."
Meanwhile, terming it "political vendetta", a SP member questioned the timing of the demolition and said that it was done promptly after the FIR and the alleged remarks by the MLA. Shazil Islam was unavailable for comment.
