It has been more than 24 hours since the demolition of activist Javed Mohammad’s house. Piles of rubble and debris rest in the place where once stood a two-storey building.
Javed Mohammad, an activist with the Welfare Party of India, was declared the prime accused by the Uttar Pradesh police in connection with the protests that broke out in Prayagraj after the Friday prayers (June 10).
On June 11, the police arrested him and detained his wife – Parveen Fatima and one of their daughters. A heavy deployment of police was placed near their house that night.
The Prayagraj district administration posted a notice stating that the construction of 25 x 60 feet was done without getting permission on the ground and first floor. It was in violation of provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Urban Planning and Development Act, 1973.
The notice dated June 10 was issued on June 11, the night before the demolition, leaving no time for the family to think or understand the situation.
On June 12, India watched in horror the demolition of a house that stood strong for over 20 years. All razed down to a pile of rubble within a span of an hour.
A report from The Indian Express decodes that the house belonged to Javed’s wife – Parveen Fatima. The house was gifted to Parveen by her father and thus was her ancestral property.
Furthermore, there are receipts and certificates that confirm that the house is in the name of Parveen Fatima and the family has been paying house tax regularly without any arrears.
As per Muslim Law, the wife’s property does not belong to the husband. Hence, Javed had no legal stake in it. Thus making the administration’s allegation weak.
“The PDA (Prayagraj Development Authority) issued a notice to my father and demolished my mother’s residence. The house was owned by my mother Parveen Fatima’s father Kaleemuddin Siddiqui. He gifted it to my mother over two decades ago. Initially, we built the ground floor and later two more floors,” said Javed’s 19-year-old daughter Sumaiya to The Indian Express.
She also said that they had not received any complaint from the authorities all these years. “Since then, no government agency has told us that it was built illegally. The house tax, water tax and electricity connections are in the name of my mother. All taxes have been paid on time. Before Sunday, no official told us that our house was built wrongly,” Sumaiya said.
She is now staying with her mother at a relative’s house in Roshan Bagh.
“On Sunday, when the PDA team reached the house for demolition, only my sister-in-law Zeenat Masroor was present there. With the help of some relatives, she managed to remove some articles from the house. The bulldozer ran over whatever she failed to remove,” Sumaiya said.
However, the PDA authorities have declined to comment on the same.
Soon after the demolition, the police claimed that Javed had illegal weapons and objectionable posters at his home.
“We have found a 12 bore illegal pistol and a 315 bore pistol and cartridges and some documents that show objectionable comments against the honourable court,” Ajay Kumar, the Senior Superintendent of Police, Prayagraj was quoted saying by NDTV.
This demolition has caused widespread condemnation by eminent personalities such as Shashi Tharoor and AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) chief Asaduddin Owaisi. #IStandWithAfreenFatima started to trend with many netizens denouncing the state, central governments and the judiciary as being mute spectators.
Student unions Students Islamic Organization (SIO), Fraternity movement, Muslim Students Forum, and All India Students Association (AISA) carried out protests against the ‘illegal’ demolition of Javed Mohammed’s and student activist Afreen Fatima’s house in Prayagraj on Sunday.
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