KUTCH: Asaduddin Owaisi, the leader of the AIMIM, criticised Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday for demolishing the home of the primary culprit in the Prayagraj incident, claiming that Adityanath was acting as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court.
“The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is now the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court. He will convict anyone and tear down their homes.” Owaisi while addressing a gathering in Kutch, Gujarat.
The Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) razed the residence of Javed Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the June 10 violence in Prayagraj, on Sunday, under a heavy police presence.
The defendant is a Welfare Party of India politician and the father of activist Afreen Fatima. Last year, Ms. Fatima participated in rallies against the centre’s contentious Citizenship Law. The police have stated that they are also investigating her participation in the incident this week.
Police said that the suspect’s residence included illegal weapons and offensive posters. The search was conducted at his residence on Sunday morning prior to the destruction.
Ajay Kumar, the Senior Superintendent of Police in Prayagraj, stated, “We have discovered a 12 bore illegal handgun, a 315 bore illegal pistol, and cartridges, as well as some documents containing undesirable remarks about the honourable court.”
Mr. Mohammed has been arrested and is currently being interrogated, according to authorities. The property was demolished hours after a notice claiming unlawful building on the ground and first levels were posted outside. The notification also said that he had neglected to respond to a May demolition order.
According to the notice, Mr. Mohammed was required to demolish the unauthorised structure by June 9, failing which he would be required to depart the residence by 11 a.m. on June 12.
However, the politician’s attorneys disputed the allegations in a letter to the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court. They claimed that Mr. Mohammed was not the owner of the property that was demolished, alleging that the authorities had not followed the laws and that the destruction was unlawful.
The house was in his wife’s name, and she had not been notified of the illegal building, according to the attorneys.
Nupur Sharma, the suspended spokesman for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), made a number of provocative statements against the Prophet Muhammad on Friday, which sparked massive protests in regions of Uttar Pradesh following Friday prayers.
On Saturday, municipal teams, joined by police, demolished the illegally constructed residences of two of the violent suspects in Saharanpur.
In Kanpur, where violent fights and stone-throwing occurred on 3 June over the same subject, demolitions were also conducted.
The Uttar Pradesh Police has detained around 300 individuals from various districts in the state in relation to the demonstrations and violence, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath threatening the “strictest” punishment against anybody seeking to poison the atmosphere.
