BAREILLY — Authorities on Saturday launched a bulldozer drive targeting properties linked to Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, who was arrested along with his aids, for supporting the ‘I Love Muhammad’ campaign that allegedly sparked clashes in Bareilly last week.
The Bareilly Municipal Corporation, along with the Bareilly Development Authority, initiated the demolition drive amid heavy police deployment.
Bulldozers rolled into Raza Palace, reportedly associated with Dr Nafees, a close confidant of Maulana Tauqeer, triggering panic in the area.
Officials said the action was directed at removing “permanent encroachments.”
A signboard at Raza Palace identified the property as the residence of Shoyeb Beg, son of the late Athar Hussain Beg, a former PCS officer. The corporation also undertook a separate drive in the tourist area, demolishing shops built over drains.
Municipal Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar Maurya, however, maintained that the drive was routine. “The permanent encroachments are being removed. This is a normal campaign carried out at regular intervals. It is not linked to last Friday’s violence,” he told IANS.
To prevent unrest, senior officials, accompanied by a large police contingent, held a flag march in the affected areas, appealing to locals to maintain peace.
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