BAREILLY: A petrol pump that had allegedly been built illegally by Samajwadi Party MLA Shazil Islam Ansari was bulldozed on Thursday, days after the legislator was booked over a provocative remark against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The demolition of the fuel station at Parsakheda on the Bareilly-Delhi National Highway was carried out by the Bareilly Development Authority using a bulldozer, an official said.
BDA vice chairman Jogendra Singh said Ansari's petrol pump was built without the required clearance.
"The notice in this regard has already been issued but no reply was received," he said.
Less than a week back, an FIR was lodged at Bareilly's Baradari police station against the opposition MLA over a remark made by him against CM Adityanath.
There was no immediate reaction by the SP on the demolition.
When contacted, the MLA said he was "very troubled" and did not want to comment on it.
Addressing party workers in his constituency last Friday, Ansari had said his party's strength in the UP House had increased after the recent elections and if Adityanath makes any "noise" now the SP guns will "not emit smoke, but fire bullets".
As a controversy erupted, the MLA seemed to suggest that the remark was being taken too literally, and a news channel had "edited" it.
What he had said, Ansari told PTI, was that the opposition now is much stronger than before in Uttar Pradesh and will reply strongly to Adityanath in the assembly, just as guns fire bullets and not smoke.
Police registered an FIR against him, SP's district vice president Sanjeev Kumar Saxena and some others on a complaint by Anuj Verma, who is the district in-charge of Hindu Yuva Vahini.
They were charged under Indian Penal Code sections related to issuing threats, disturbing peace and making provocative remarks with intent to incite riots.
During the assembly election campaign, the SP had repeatedly referred to Adityanath as "Bulldozer Baba".
The BJP too invoked the "bulldozer", saying it will continue to be used against illegal property occupied by criminals.