AHMEDABAD: After Madhya Pradesh, the Gujarat government is now executing 'bulldozer justice' in connection with the recent violence on Ram Navami in Khambhat. The government has ordered the demolition of encroachments belonging to the accused at the site of the riot at Shakarpur in Khambhat on Ram Navami in which one person was killed.
According to officials, the place where the stone-pelting took place has been a source of frequent communal tension in the area for the last several years, and the police and the administration are now conducting an exercise to resolve it permanently. Sensitive points have been identified in the taluk by the district administration and police in this regard and an exercise has been carried out to remove obstructions including illegal encroachments around these places.
The administration demolished the shops located in front of the dargah by running a bulldozer. During this, a large number of police forces were deployed. Apart from this, all the district officers including SDM were also present on the spot. Officials say that these properties were illegal and criminal activities were taking place here.
Assistant Superintendent of Police at Khambhat (ASP) Abhishek Gupta said, “The spot where the riots took place is very sensitive. Therefore, to maintain peace and security, illegal shops have been removed under the guidance of SDM with police protection, and action will be taken against any other place in the future if such a need arises.”
“An exercise has been carried out in Khambhat taluk to remove illegal constructions by identifying sensitive points. As part of this, operations have been started to remove illegal constructions in Shakarpur,” said Nirupama Gadhvi, Prant Officer (Deputy Collector).
The Gujarat Police on Wednesday said that the violence during the Ram Navami procession was a pre-planned conspiracy. According to the police, the boys were brought from outside for stone-pelting and they were assured of all kinds of legal and financial help if they were caught by the authorities. It was decided to pelt stones from cemeteries as stones could be easily found there.
A total of nine people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in violence and stone-pelting during the procession.