Anti-encroachment drive in Surat locality that witnessed stone pelting at Ganesh pandal
Surat, Sep 9: The civic authorities in Gujarat's Surat city carried out an anti-encroachment drive involving a bulldozer in Saiyedpura on Monday, hours after the locality witnessed rioting after some minors threw stones at a Ganesh pandal.
Authorities, however, were quick to clarify that the anti-encroachment drive was not linked to the violence on Sunday but was planned weeks in advance.
A bulldozer was pressed into action by the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) to raze illegal concrete and temporary constructions and remove handcarts of street vendors in the area.
Communal tensions gripped Saiyedpura on Sunday night after a mob of around 200-300 persons gheraoed a police station and pelted stones to protest against the detention of six minors accused of throwing stones at a Ganesh pandal.
There was heavy police deployment in the locality, from where 28 persons were arrested, and six minors were detained on charges of rioting and attempted murder after some persons, including policemen, were injured in stone pelting.
Surat deputy mayor Narendra Patil maintained that the anti-encroachment drive had been planned some two weeks ago, and it had nothing to do with the clash on Sunday night.
He said encroachment was a long-standing problem in Saiyedpura, which has a Muslim-majority population, and local corporators had complained about the same.
"The decision to remove encroachments was made in a meeting 15 days ago. Saiyedpura is worst affected by illegal encroachment, and all four local corporators requested action. They had pointed out that people had no space to walk in the locality due to encroachment," Patil told PTI.
He said coordinated action was being taken zone-wise, and action would be taken in all areas facing the encroachment problem.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anil Patel justified the civic body's action in the area and said the government should ensure strict action against elements that cause rioting without provocation.
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Congress wins 18 seats in Assam; 17 Muslim candidates among victors
Guwahati: The Indian National Congress has secured victory in 18 Assembly constituencies in Assam, according to the latest results.
Out of the 18 winning candidates, 17 are from the Muslim community. The only non-Muslim candidate among the winners is Dr. Joy Prakash Das, who won from the Nowboicha constituency.
The constituencies where Congress candidates emerged victorious include Parbatjhora, Gauripur, Dhubri, Birsing Jarua, Jaleshwar, Goalpara East, Srijangram, Chenga, Pakabetbari, Chamaria, Lahorighat, Rupahihat, Samaguri, Nowboicha, Sonai, Algapur-Katlicherra, Karimganj North, and Karimganj South.
Among the winners are MD Ashraful Islam Sheikh from Parbatjhora, Abdus Sobahan Ali Sarkar from Gauripur, Baby Begum from Dhubri, Wazed Ali Choudhury from Birsing Jarua, and Aftab Uddin Mollah from Jaleshwar.
Other winners include Abul Kalam Rasheed Alam from Goalpara East, MD. Nurul Islam from Srijangram, Abdur Rahim Ahmed from Chenga, Jakir Hussain Sikdar from Pakabetbari, Rekibuddin Ahmed from Chamaria, Dr Asif Mohammad Nazar from Lahorighat, Nurul Huda from Rupahihat, Tanzil Hussain from Samaguri, Aminul Haque Laskar from Sonai, Zubair Anam Mazumder from Algapur-Katlicherra, Jakaria Ahmed from Karimganj North, and Aminur Rashid Choudhury from Karimganj South.
