A preliminary inquiry into the razing of the wall of a shop owned by a furniture trader in Moradabad last week has revealed procedural lapses by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Bilari while ordering the demolition of the alleged illegal structure.
Divisional Commissioner of Moradabad Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said the inquiry was ordered after Zahid Ahmed, 54, wrote to him on July 11 complaining that Ghanshyam Verma, the SDM of Bilari, had ordered the demolition after he asked the officer to pay a bill of ₹2.6 lakh for furniture bought from his shop earlier this month.
Mr. Singh told The Hindu that the inquiry report, which has been submitted to the Chief Minister’s Office, found that Mr. Ahmed was given just three days’ notice to vacate his shop. He said though complaints were reported against several buildings for allegedly encroaching on a pond in the area, Mr. Verma chose to demolish only one shop.
Complaints were reported against several buildings for allegedly encroaching on a pond in the area. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
‘Several violations’
“According to the initial probe report, it is clear that the demolition orders were issued only on July 7. The deadline was not set as per procedure. We have noticed other violations in the order too. He cannot pick and choose to act against one person in cases where there are multiple violators. The matter is under investigation. Even the Chief Minister’s Office has taken cognisance of this matter,” he said.
Mr. Singh said he had asked the District Magistrate to immediately order a probe into the complaint and an inquiry committee was constituted under the Additional District Magistrate (ADM).
However, before the ADM could start his inquiry, two bulldozers along with police personnel arrived to raze Mr. Ahmed’s shop on July 12. “The bulldozer razed a wall of the shop and was about to pull down the main gate when a call from a ‘senior officer’ in the administration stopped the demolition,” Mr. Ahmed said.
Zahid Ahmed, the furniture trader whose shop was bulldozed by the district administration, at Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
The trader said he had named his shop Owais after his son. “I had opened the shop in 2000 when my son was barely a month old. I gave him the best education, got my two elder daughters married, and ran my household with earnings from this shop,” he said.
Mr. Ahmed said the SDM told him “tera bill table pe sajaya hai, ab tera ghar bulldozer se sajaunga [I have adorned my table with your bill, now I will adorn your house with a bulldozer]” when he asked him to pay the bill. He said a set of furniture, including a sofa, a table and a cot with mattress, was delivered to the SDM’s residence while a similar set was sent to the house of his friend’s daughter, who is posted with the jail department in Hardoi district.
‘An utter lie’
Mr. Verma, who is now attached with the district headquarters to prevent him from influencing the probe, said Mr. Ahmed’s allegation was an “utter lie”. Though the SDM initially denied purchasing furniture from the shop, he later claimed that he had paid the bill in full.
“The complaint against Mr. Ahmed was put up on the Chief Minister’s portal by the corporator in his area. I had ordered the demolition of the encroachment without knowing that it stood on Mr. Ahmed’s land. His claim that I did it to avoid paying him is wrong. I do not have any receipts of the payment, but my subordinates bore witness to the transaction,” he said.
‘Facing SDM’s ire’
However, other traders, too, have claimed to have been at the receiving end of Mr. Verma’s “wrath”. Shivkumar Singhal, a thread dealer in Bilari, said, “The SDM filed a final report on my land and declared that it belonged to someone else. His subordinates told me that the other person had bribed him. I am still fighting that case.”
Ram Niwas Sharma, a BJP worker and contractor in the local civic body, said Mr. Verma used his subordinates to demand 10% commission to clear his dues of ₹25 lakh. “I refused to pay up and he got a fake FIR registered against me. I was asked to mark attendance at his office twice a day and submit surety bonds worth ₹10 lakh. The harassment went on for months,” he said.
Refuting the allegations, Mr. Verma said people were hatching a “conspiracy” against him as he is an officer who cannot stand wrongdoings. “My fault is that I cannot tolerate malpractice. There’s barely a year left for my retirement. With such allegations levelled against me, I know I will get suspended. All I want is the name of my friend’s daughter to be cleared in this matter. I had purchased the furniture and sent it to her home in Hardoi. She hasn’t done anything wrong,” he said.
