Prayagraj: Bulldozers, now a symbol of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s crackdown on anti-social elements, were moved to the residence of activist Javed Mohammad, a.k.a. Javed Pump, who the Uttar Pradesh police have identified as the main conspirator behind the violence that erupted in the city on June 10.
The Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) has served a notice to demolish the house that was allegedly built without getting the requisite permissions.
The PDA’s notice was posted on the gate of Javed’s home in the city’s Atala area, informing the residents that they must vacate the property by 11 am on June 12 so that action can be taken.
A senior official said that the house would be demolished within the next few hours.
The notice cites that the property has illegal structures which were constructed without taking the requisite permits and hence, in violation of several building and planning regulations.
The PDA said Javed had failed to respond to the show-cause notice sent on May 5 and had not vacated the building, as ordered in another notice issued on June 9.
The Atala area was purportedly the epicentre of the demonstrations against the inflammatory remarks on Prophet Muhammad made by now suspended BJP functionaries.
Police allege that Mohammad Javed gave the call for the protests that eventually turned violent. He was arrested and booked under the Gangster Act.
Following the June 10 protest, PDA teams began identification of illegal constructions and encroachments in Atala and nearby areas in an apparent follow-up to warnings issued by police and administrative officials about illegal properties of rioters being razed.
Meanwhile, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said on Sunday that 304 persons have been arrested till Sunday morning in connection with Friday’s violence.
The maximum number of arrests have been in Prayagraj where 91 persons have been held while 71 have been held in Saharanpur.
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