Marriage hall of Raza aide razed, house sealed
BAREILLY: A Samajwadi Party (SP) delegation led by leader of opposition in UP assembly Mata Prasad Pandey was on Saturday stopped at multiple locations across the state while on its way to Bareilly to meet families affected by the communal clashes that broke out following the recent ‘I love Muhammad’ row in the town.Earlier in the day, Bareilly Development Authority demolished a marriage hall linked to Dr Nafees Ahmed, an aide of Ittehad-e-Millat Council chief Tauqeer Raza, who has been arrested for alleged involvement in the violence that broke out following Friday prayers on Sept 26. A house where Raza was reportedly sheltered during the unrest was also sealed.SP MP: Police trapping innocents in false cases, seizing their propertiesBareilly SSP Anurag Arya said 83 people had been arrested so far in connection with the incident.The SP delegation — which included Barq, Kairana MP Iqra Hasan and Muzaffarnagar MP Harendra Singh — was part of a fact-finding team that had planned to meet victims’ families and speak with local officials. Barq questioned the rationale for stopping them. “When the police and administration claim everything is normal, why are we being stopped? We have been getting complaints that police are trapping innocents in false cases and seizing their properties. We want it to be stopped.”Hasan alleged that the MPs were treated like criminals instead of elected representatives. “We were pushed and shoved. This undeclared emergency has led to the collapse of law and order in the state. Today or tomorrow, we will reach Bareilly, and UP govt’s wrongdoing will be exposed,” she said. “Today, law is being run by issuing diktats.”In a video posted by SP on X, Pandey said an SHO told him to remain at home, and that the district magistrate warned his visit could disturb peace. “We do not disturb the atmosphere; the administration is not allowing us to go there to cover up its own shortcomings,” he said.SSP Anurag Arya said, “We are currently reviewing CCTV footage to identify others involved in the incident. Ten FIRs have been registered, and a SIT will conduct the probe.” Meanwhile, the demolition action by Bareilly Development Authority drew criticism from legal experts. Senior Allahabad high court lawyer SFA Naqvi told TOI that the bulldozer action violated a Supreme Court ruling from November 2024, which held that demolishing the homes of accused persons without due process infringes upon the fundamental right to shelter under Article 21 of the Constitution.Bareilly Development Authority officials said the demolition of the Raza Marriage Hall and the sealing of four shops linked to Dr Nafees Ahmed were carried out due to “building norm violations.” Joint secretary Deepak Kumar said that“legal action is also being taken against the Raza marriage hall.”
