New Delhi: Anis, a resident of Nuh, Haryana, found himself in a state of shock when his family’s residence near Tiranga Chowk in the city was demolished by the authorities.
In a compassionate act, Anis had provided refuge to a group of men affiliated with the Bajrang Dal on July 31, the day the violence broke out in Nuh. Unfortunately, on August 6, his own house fell victim to the demolitions.
In response to the recent surge of communal unrest in Nuh, a collaborative effort between the administration and law enforcement led to the demolition of several residences within the predominantly Muslim district.
The accurate enumeration of these dismantled homes has proven challenging even for social organisations and non-governmental bodies. Asif Mujtaba of Miles2Smile, a non-profit, said that his organisation is finding it difficult to locate the victims of the bulldozer action.
These demolitions were allegedly carried out without prior notice, prompting the Punjab and Haryana high court to intervene on its own accord. The court asked whether this operation was a targeted campaign against a specific community and raised concerns about its potential implications, questioning whether it constituted an act of “ethnic cleansing”.