Ahmedabad civic authorities launched a massive demolition drive on Tuesday, razing over 2,000 illegally constructed houses and properties in the Chandola Lake area. The operation, which involved around 50 teams equipped with earthmovers and 2,000 police personnel, was carried out days after illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were detained from these settlements. The Gujarat High Court declined to stay the action, observing that the dwellings were situated on the periphery of the water body and therefore subject to demolition under the Land Revenue Code. Authorities also demolished the illegal farmhouse of Lalu Pathan, alleged mastermind behind the encroachments, who is suspected to have helped illegal immigrants obtain rental accommodation and Aadhaar cards.
The House has been witnessing uproar after Rahul Gandhi was disallowed to cite an article based on excerpts from an unpublished 'memoir' of former Army chief General M M Naravane (retd).
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has issued notices to Hindu refugees from Pakistan who live near Gurudwara Majnu Ka Tilla in the Yamuna floodplain area asking them to vacate the place, locals claimed on Wednesday.
'Government cannot pick and choose as to against whom they want to take action and against whom they do not want to take action.'
The Jammu Development Authority (JDA) demolished a dozen shops belonging to displaced Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu city, allegedly without issuing notices, sparking protests from various sections demanding action against the officials. The shops were located on JDA land and had been built by displaced Kashmiri Pandits near the Muthi camp three decades ago. The demolition drive sparked outrage from political parties, including the BJP, PDP and Apni Party, and several Kashmir Pandit organisations, who condemned the JDA's action and called for the construction of new shops to help the displaced community sustain their livelihood.
'Even as the Supreme Court's anti-punitive demolition judgment nears its first anniversary, no formal contempt proceedings have been initiated either by the Supreme Court or any high court against officers or demolition squads who have acted in violation of it.'
The Supreme Court of India expressed shock over a viral video showing an eight-year-old girl fleeing her shanty as it was demolished by a bulldozer during an anti-encroachment drive in Uttar Pradesh. The court mentioned the video while hearing a case concerning illegal demolition in Prayagraj. The incident drew criticism from opposition parties, while local authorities defended the demolition, citing court orders and multiple notices issued to the encroacher.
On Thursday, March 6, 2025, bulldozers deployed by the Amritsar Municipal Corporation, assisted by the Punjab Police, razed properties in the city allegedly belonging to a drug trafficker.
Weeks after violent clashes over a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, the district administration in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, has launched a campaign against encroachments and illegal power theft in the area around the historic mosque. The administration began removing encroachments on Sunday morning, focusing on clearing drains outside houses and shops. The operation uncovered an illegal stockpile of domestic gas cylinders in a house, and the electricity department unearthed illegal connections in four mosques and a madrasa. The Bhasma Shankar temple, which was reopened by the district administration, has resumed regular worship.
A mob attacked police personnel during the demolition of an unauthorized dargah in Nashik, Maharashtra, injuring 21 officers and damaging three police vehicles. The incident occurred late Tuesday night after the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) began removing the Satpeer Baba Dargah following a Bombay High Court order. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the mob and detained 15 individuals in connection with the violence. The situation is now under control, with the dargah demolished and an FIR filed against the perpetrators.
Investigations into the 'white collar' terror module busted after the recent car bombing near Red Fort showed that the mastermind Dr Umar-un Nabi had attempted to recruit a second suicide bomber but could not succeed as he backed out of the terror plot citing the need to help his family during the apple harvest, officials said on Sunday.
The high court made the observation while granting liberty to the DDA to proceed with the demolition action at Bhoomiheen Camp in South Delhi's Kalkaji in accordance with law.
Shopkeepers in Bahraich scrambled to salvage their goods on Saturday, apprehending a demolition drive by the authorities. According to a local lawmaker, the Public Works Department has served demolition notices to 23 establishments -- 20 of them belonging to Muslims.
No casualties had been reported among the residents of the area, while a fire brigade personnel was injured, the official said.
Actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut has criticized comedian Kunal Kamra for his recent remarks about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, calling them "disrespectful" and "in bad taste." Ranaut, who was speaking to reporters outside Parliament, said that Kamra's comedy was "disgracing" and that Shinde had earned his position through hard work. She also echoed Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' call for Kamra to apologize for his "low level comedy." The controversy comes after Shiv Sena members damaged the comedy club where Kamra's show took place, in response to his jokes about Shinde's political career and recent developments in Maharashtra.
Officials reveal details of a foiled Jaish-e-Mohammed terror plot involving a doctor who planned a bomb blast near the Red Fort, timed around the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary. Arrests and investigations uncovered the interstate network.
'This is just the beginning. You have to wait and watch to see things getting better.'
If the Thackerays don't save a Marathi school in their backyard, who will, wonders Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
Data extracted from the mobile phone of the Red Fort suicide bomber, Dr. Umar-un-Nabi, reveals a video justifying the attack as a 'martyrdom operation'. The evidence was unearthed following the interrogation of Umar's brother, Zahoor Illahi.
The sophisticated 'white-collar' terror module, spearheaded by a group of doctors recently busted by Jammu and Kashmir Police, had been actively scouting for a suicide bomber since last year, with key planner Dr Umar Nabi pushing the agenda, officials said on Sunday.
Status quo to be maintained till further order..., the court said.
The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday ordered a halt to the demolition drive in violence-hit Nuh and asked if it was an "exercise of ethnic cleansing".
A few days back, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation issued a notice to Khan, citing various lapses and lack of the building plan approval (for his house), sources said.
Amir Rashid Ali, a key accused in the Red Fort area car bomb blast case, has been remanded in 10 days' NIA custody. The agency seeks to unravel the conspiracy behind the inter-state "white collar" terror module.
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) said the demolition drive was carried out on land that was "part of planned development land". Police said several structures built illegally were demolished during the drive.
The Indian government has officially classified the car explosion outside the Red Fort as a terrorist incident, vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice swiftly. The Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and expressed condolences for the victims.
At a public hearing in New Delhi on Monday, civil society and community members shared accounts of the evictions and anti-encroachment drives.
A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana ordered status quo in the present situation, and said the petition would be listed before an appropriate bench.
Two more persons including a journalist from Mumbra have been arrested in connection with the building collapse in Shil Phata area, which killed 74 people, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 11, police said on Tuesday.
Indian authorities have uncovered a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror plot involving doctors from south Kashmir, a Faridabad university, the recovery of 2,900 kg of explosives, and a car bomb near the Red Fort. Eight people have been arrested in connection with the plot.
Not long ago, the rat-hole miner was feted for his role in rescuing with his team 41 workers trapped in Uttarkashi's Silkyara tunnel in November last year.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government has ordered magisterial enquiries into the demolition and also the death of a six month-old child.
"My family and I continue to spend the night in the open. Some locals are providing us with food and water, etc.," Hassan said on Friday, a day after he refused an offer by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to move him and his family to an EWS flat in Narela.
The South Delhi Municipal Corporation on Tuesday carried out anti-encroachment drive on Gurudwara Road in New Friends Colony as civic officials reached the spot with bulldozers and removed illegal temporary structures, the authority said.
The apex court said when a particular structure is chosen all of a sudden for demolition and the rest of similarly situated structures in the same vicinity are not even being touched, "mala fide may loom large".
Authorities in Bareilly have identified and are taking action against allegedly illegal properties linked to associates of Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) chief cleric Tauqeer Raza Khan following violent clashes in the city.
The Haryana government on Friday rejected in the high court the suggestion that a demolition drive in violence-hit Nuh did not follow procedure and was an exercise in 'ethnic cleansing', as the bench hearing the case referred it to the chief justice's court.
According to the notice, Malik's supporters attacked the team that had gone to carry out the demolition drive in 'Malik Ka Bagicha' and damaged the properties of the municipal corporation.
Dhami said several acres of land were freed from encroachment during the demolition drive in the 'Malik Ka Bagicha' area of Banbhoolpura.
The resolution was passed unanimously by voice vote.
