Fear and uncertainty has gripped Muslims in Nuh with more than 750 structures demolished as part of a crackdown in the wake of the recent communal violence.
The crackdown that continued for four days until the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered the government to halt it on August 7 – erased homes and shops of hundreds of people. Newslaundry learnt that most of the people who lost their property belonged to the Muslim community. They were allegedly served a notice about the action merely half-an-hour before the demolition, and were denied any time to remove their belongings.
Akil Sheikh, one of the locals whose house was demolished, said that images of his house were broadcasted in the media with a “false narrative”, however the police investigation found no evidence of his involvement in the communal clashes. Despite this, his house was bulldozed.
Another resident of Nuh, advocate Ramzan Chaudhary alleged that bulldozers were being used by the government to “make Hindus happy”.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Haryana High Court came down heavily on the government and asked whether the buildings of a particular community were being bulldozed “under the guise of law and order”, and if it was an attempt at “ethnic cleansing”.
However, BJP MLA Sanjay Singh said at a mahapanchayat that the high court’s ban on the bulldozer action was “temporary”, and the crackdown would be resumed.
Watch.
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