Upset Over Bulldozer Action, UP Villagers Thrash Officers In Front Of Cops

Farrukhabad (UP):

Upset over bulldozer action in their village, two revenue officers were on Monday beaten up by the villagers in the presence of the police.

Taking note of the incident, Lekpal Sangh, a union of revenue officers, has staged a dharna at Nawabganj Police Station demanding the registration of an FIR against the people involved in the attack.

The incident took place in Ukhra village, where a team of district administration on Saturday razed several structures built on government land using bulldozers.

On Monday, when some BJP leaders reached the village and were talking to the people with Circle officer Arun Kumar, SHO Balraj Bhati, some of the villagers became violent and attacked Lekhpals (revenue officers) Rudra Pratap Singh and Saurabh Pandey.

The police somehow dispersed the mob and controlled the situation.

District President of Lekhpal Sangh, Ajit Dwivedi said his colleagues were brutally beaten up and their records were snatched.

“They are injured. The Lekhpal Sangh will protest at the police station until a case is registered and the accused are arrested,” he said.

On Saturday evening, four bulldozers were used to demolish the structures on a barren land encroached upon for years in the village, the officials said.

Sadar Tehsildar Shraddha Pandey had said about one-and-a-half hectares of land has been acquired with the consent of the village society for the green energy corridor.

“The government land was illegally occupied by some people. It is being freed from encroachments. All illegal constructions will be razed,” she had said.

Sharing a 17-second video on X in which bulldozers could be seen in action, SP chief Yadav had said, “This is the ugly face of BJP politics full of revenge. BJP gets happiness in demolishing settled houses. Those who have not settled their own houses, I don’t know what revenge they take for by demolishing the houses of others. With every falling house, BJP also falls even lower.”

He further wrote, “For Amritkaal’s information: Today, in village Ukhra of Amritpur assembly constituency of Farrukhabad Lok Sabha (constituency), by running bulldozers on the houses of 25 poor families settled for years, who knows how many old people, sick people were rendered homeless in the rains. This is the height of political cruelty.” While hearing a batch of pleas against bulldozer actions in various states, the Supreme Court on September 17 passed an interim order that no demolition of properties should take place in the country without its permission.

The top court had, however, clarified that the order is not applicable to encroachments on public roads, footpaths, railway lines, or other public spaces. 

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