APART FROM demolishing the tin shed scrap shop of the father of the 15-year-old, held after police said they received a complaint that the boy raised “anti-national” slogans during the India-Pakistan cricket match last Sunday, authorities in Sindhudurg’s Malvan also razed the nearby shop of his father’s elder brother.
No notice was served before razing the shops. When contacted, Malvan Municipal Council chief officer Santosh Jirage told The Indian Express that the “illegal structure” that the boy’s father had erected was demolished after receiving a complaint from the land owner on Monday and that they had acted because “200-300 people” had gathered there.
“The complainant said the tin shed temporary structure was built on his land. Hence, we immediately took action. We had also received a letter from (Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena) MLA Nilesh Rane and police. There were some 200-300 people gathered there which necessitated us to take action,” Jirage said.
Asked if a notice was served, Jirage said since the complaint was from the landowner, no notice was issued to the parent. He said the complaint did not mention when the tin shed was erected. Photographs of the demolition were tweeted by Rane.
The boy’s uncle also had a scrap shop 50 feet from that of his brother. He said his shop too was demolished by the administration.
“I don’t get along with my younger brother. Just because I am related to him, my shop was demolished even though the owners of the two properties are different. I have lost Rs 4-5 lakh. My family is troubled, that too at a time when my daughter has her Class X exams. What was our fault?” he told The Indian Express.
He said that one Rajan Azgaonkar was the owner of the land where his shop stood while his younger brother’s landlord’s name was Suhas Ajgaonkar. “I paid Rs 10,000 deposit and Rs 3,000 rent per month but we had not entered into any formal agreement,” he said.
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On Sunday night, during the Champions Trophy India-Pakistan match, Sachin Varadkar, a self-proclaimed VHP worker, said that he heard a boy raise slogans to which he objected. Police filed an FIR against the boy and his parents (leading to their arrest) on Monday. During the day, the civic authorities took a bulldozer and razed their shop.
SP Saurabh Agrawal confirmed that along with the “illegal” shop belonging to the parents, two-three other “illegal” structures around it were also demolished by the local administration.
Agrawal said that after the incident, they wrote to the civic body asking them to check if the structure of the scrap shop was legal and to undertake necessary measures. “We only routinely write to the civic body asking them to check the status of a particular structure and take necessary action in case of any violation,” he said.
The parents of the 15-year-old, who were granted bail on Tuesday, were released from Sawantwadi jail on Wednesday. The boy, who was taken to an observation home, was handed over to his uncle on Monday.
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