NEW DELHI: Bulldozers ran over "illegal encroachments" at a locality in Gujarat 's Surat that witnessed rioting on Sunday after some minors threw stones at Ganesh pandal . The authorities, however, clarified that the anti-encroachment drive was not linked to the rioting as it was planned weeks in advance. The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) deployed bulldozers in the area to raze illegal concrete and temporary constructions.
The municipal body also removed handcarts of street vendors in the area. Surat deputy mayor Narendra Patil said that the anti-encroachment drive had been planned some two weeks ago, and was not the outcome of the Sunday's clash. 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 news agency PTI.
Communal tensions prevailed in Surat's Saiyedpura on Sunday after a mob of around 200-300 people 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 27 persons were arrested, and six minors were detained on charges of rioting and attempte.
