As the demolition drive of illegal houses constructed and occupied in the Akbar Nagar area of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, is underway, several Islamists on social media platforms have come out claiming that the Yogi Adityanath government is deliberately targeting the Muslims in the state post-elections. The Islamists online are claiming that only Muslim families living in the Akbar Nagar area of Lucknow are being asked to vacate their homes before bulldozing their illegal properties for allegedly voting against the BJP.
“As soon as the elections are over, atrocities on Muslims have started. In Akbarpur, the UP government has demolished the houses and mosques of Muslims with bulldozers for voting against the BJP. Thousands of families have been living here for half a century with valid documents and now they will become homeless,” said one Nadeem Ahmed on X sharing the video of the ongoing demolition.
चुनाव खत्म होते ही मुसलमानों पर अत्याचार शुरू हो गए हैं। अकबरपुर में भाजपा के खिलाफ वोट देने पर यूपी सरकार ने मुसलमानों के घरों और मस्जिदों को बुलडोजर से गिरा दिया है। हजारों परिवार आधी सदी से वैध कागजात के साथ यहां रह रहे हैं और अब वे बेघर हो जाएंगे।pic.twitter.com/3tusrf37BM
— Nadeem Ahmed𓂆🔻 نديم احمد (@IamNadeem_A) June 10, 2024
Controversial activist Teesta Setalvaad, who has been accused in several cases, also happened to propagate this video by asking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and SP’s Akhilesh Yadav to speak over the issue.
Where are @yadavakhilesh ji @RahulGandhi ji? They must speak up https://t.co/fcqs0Jx9w9
— Teesta Setalvad (@TeestaSetalvad) June 11, 2024
Further, a similar video was shared by one of the users identified as Ishan who indicated that Yogi Adityanath was doing absolutely right by teaching a lesson to ‘jihadists’.
लखनऊ : अकबर नगर में अवैध कब्जों पर चला बुलडोज़र
— Ishan Mishra (@IshanMishr) June 11, 2024
बाबा जी एक्शन मोड में 🔥🔥🔥
योगी जी का सुशासन, उनका आक्रामक अन्दाज़ जेहाDiयों और अराजकता के ख़िलाफ़ ही उत्तरप्रदेश में भाजपा की जीत की गारंटी है 👍 pic.twitter.com/AUVHaOF83k
However, it is important to note that the demolition drive in Akbarpur, Lucknow, is a drive against encroachment which the state has undertaken to make the Kukrail riverfront project a reality.
While several Islamists as well as people like Teesta Setalvad claimed that only Muslims were targeted, a live report by India TV clarified that not only Muslims, but several other Hindu families have also faced evacuation from the area. The India TV reporter on the ground highlighted the list of residents who were asked by the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) to vacate their illegal properties before the ultimate bulldozer action.
The list of names includes several Hindus identified as Asha Devi, Devi Prasad, Amit Kumar, Sham Kashyap, Ramesh Chandra, etc who have lost their properties to the demolition drive.
Also, a local news media Ultah Chashma reported that several Hindu families have suffered massive losses due to the ongoing demolition drive amid the Kukrail riverfront project. Several Hindus while talking to the local news channel expressed their anger over the demolition and said that it was not right for the government to force Akbar Nagar residents to leave the locality.
“We have been staying here for more than 50 years now. This is not how they should force us to leave. If we are staying here illegally, why were we provided with electricity and water connections? Why are our names mentioned in the Nagar Nigam records?” asked one of the enraged Hindu residents.
What is happening in Akbar Nagar, Lucknow is heartbreaking.
— TIND Posting (@tindposting) June 11, 2024
This video is 5months old when the demolition drive was halted by the court orders.
But again it shows the reality of government which will bulldoze and demolish anything and everything for the sake of it's own.
The… pic.twitter.com/UJo23DLDvW
Islamists and some vested interest groups have been trying to peddle the false claim that the evacuation or demolition drive is specifically targeted against Muslims, for allegedly ‘not voting for the BJP’. Which is a blatant lie. The process of encroachment removal was started long back.
The recent Lok Sabha election results in the state of Uttar Pradesh were rather unexpected with NDA securing 36 seats, 7 less than I.N.D.I Alliance which secured 43 seats. The Islamists and the vested interest groups are trying to insinuate that the Yogi govt in the state is now seeking vengeance against Muslims for not giving them votes.
Why is the demolition drive happening in Abar Nagar, Lucknow, and since when the process has been going on?
However heart-aching it is to watch, it is important to note that all the houses and commercial properties that are being razed down by the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) are illegal. Several families years ago started staying on the banks of the Kukrail River and eventually permanent structures were constructed. Consecutive governments overlooked the encroachment and constriction of the crucial water body for reasons best known to them.
The LDA in the year 2023 had asked the residents to vacate their homes to carry out the anti-encroachment drive by sending notices and letters. The residents of Akbar Nagar in Lucknow then knocked on the doors of the High Court getting a breather ahead of the demolition drive in the area.
VIDEO | Residents of Akbarnagar in Lucknow get High Court breather ahead of the demolition drive in the area. Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) had asked the residents to vacate their homes in order to carry out the anti-encroachment drive. pic.twitter.com/uxFEUW63TF
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 21, 2023
On June 10th this year, however, the LDA began the demolition drive to make the Kukrail riverfront project a reality. The entire area had been closed, and traffic was diverted to allow for the demolition drive, which was scheduled in two shifts. Eight companies of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and the Rapid Action Force (RPF) have been deployed to maintain law and order.
Residents began packing their possessions as soon as the LDA officials arrived with the bulldozers for demolition, and several of them fiercely opposed the government’s conduct. Notably, the LDA had earlier issued notices and the admin officials had also been warning the residents of the demolition drive over loudspeakers.
Legal process was followed, Supreme Court allowed demolition drive
A Supreme Court panel consisting of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta gave legal clearance to the demolition on May 10th. It supported the Allahabad High Court’s order on the demolition effort against “unauthorized construction” in the Akbar Nagar area, an essentially Muslim area, and stated that no one should be removed until the LDA provides alternative housing.
#BREAKING AKBAR NAGAR DEMOLITIONS UPHELD
— Bar and Bench (@barandbench) May 10, 2024
SC: Details of flood in said nullah has been indicated and a STP constructed. In view of aforesaid we are in agreement with the HC that the colony has been constructed on a floodplain area and the petitioners do not have any document or…
Another fact is that this is not the first demolition drive either. The demolition work has been progressing in phases. In February this year, around 78 slum houses were cleared. Among the slum residents some had already chosen alternate housing under the PM Awas Yojna and Vasant Kunj Yojna. Some did not seek a stay on the demolition. The LDA had followed the due legal process and proceeded with announcement well ahead of the demolition.
The first bulldozer entered Akbar Nagar on December 21, 2023, but before demolition work could begin, the Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench imposed a stay, however, no final injunction was made to stop the demolition.
How the Kukrail river was encroached and illegal immigrants were settled under SP govt
The Kukrail River was believed to be a drain around which several illegal immigrants built their houses. The river has a history of 200 years with its initial documented mention in a 1904 gazetteer, as per a detailed report by Times of India. As per a professor at the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, who is advising the Yogi government on the Kukrail project, the 28-km-long Kukrail river covered a basin of around 192 sq km. However, during the regime of the Samajwadi Party, several illegal immigrants began staying on the banks of the river eventually forcing it to shrink to a drain.
The area where the current demolition drive is being undertaken was actually handed over to the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) for development in 1980. The LDA then identified 283 illegal constructions on the flood-prone bank by 1984. However, the number happened to increase to 1200 in the year 2023. It was learned later that several illegal immigrants were allowed to settle in the area by the SP regime. Several land mafias faked the documents to sell properties that have now been razed to grounds. “The land mafia faked documents to construct multi-storey buildings and large showrooms on the Kukrail River. They duped poor, gullible people, and facilitated the development of an illegal colony in Akbarnagar, leading to the river’s decline,” the professor was quoted as saying.
It is in the year 2023 that the Yogi Adityanat government decided to bring the Kukrail river back to life. The government identified illegal settlements and ordered their demolition in the wake of the Kukrail riverfront project.
Kukrail Riverfront Project, and alternate housing provided by Govt
Notably, the residents who have lost their properties to the demolition drive have been given resettlement houses under PM Awas Yojana. Efforts are being taken by the government to resettle other sufferers. “Genuine Indian citizens who had been cheated by the land mafia to get settled here have been taken care of. Over 1,800 such families have been allotted houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana,” the government officials said.
The government is undertaking the demolition drive to make the Kukrail Riverfront Project, a reality. The project involves not just the removal of illegal encroachment on river bed and floodplains, but also the revival of ponds and smaller water bodies in the Asti area where the kukrail generates.
So far, 105 illegal properties have been razed to the ground. Under this project, efforts are being made to maintain and enhance the area’s natural beauty, as well as to regenerate the Kukrail River. The state administration has been tasked with monitoring the beautification of 22 ponds spread around the Asti locality. These ponds would serve as a feeder for the Kukrail River and also serve as vital reservoirs of water and havens for biodiversity.
Further by renewing the riverbed and maintaining uninterrupted flow, the river will gain new life, and the ecology will be safeguarded, reducing the risk of floods during the monsoon season.
The state plans the Kukrail riverfront project to enhance the beauty of Lucknow, and prevent the frequent floods that are worsened by encroachments. Earlier the banks were vacant but slowly several families came in and began staying illegally on the banks. The government now plans to make the Kukrail riverfront a famous picnic spot with boating, street food and sports facilities. All the illegal properties for this purpose have been possessed back by the government. All these residents who have been illegally staying in the locality will be given alternative homes under the PM Awas Yojana as suggested by the media reports.
