Demolition Drive Flattens Homes in Crackdown on Unauthorised Settlements
Municipal authorities deployed bulldozers to raze dozens of dwellings in a pre-dawn operation targeting unauthorised colonies, leaving hundreds displaced amid contested land claims. The action signals an hardening state approach to urban informality.
Heavy machinery accompanied by paramilitary contingents moved into the settlement before sunrise, reducing brick and concrete structures to rubble within hours while residents scrambled to salvage belongings. Officials cited a high court order directing removal of encroachments on government land designated for a transit corridor, but community leaders produced revenue records and decades-old electricity bills contesting the classification. The demolition proceeded despite a pending stay application, raising questions about procedural due process and the proportionality of state force against vulnerable populations.
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