Another incident of the houses of Muslim men being demolished in BJP-governed Madhya Pradesh over allegations of cow slaughter has been reported, following the Morena district administration's extreme step of labelling the houses 'completely illegal' and built 'without permission', reported The Indian Express.
It is ironic that, although innumerable structures, including houses, offices of political parties, and religious centres, can be found across the state built on illegally occupied land or without permission, the administration and authorities have chosen to target the houses of members of Muslim communities.
The latest incident has been in response to a complaint filed by a villager named Anipal Gurjar, who reported witnessing the slaughter and being attacked when he opposed it.
Acting on the complaint, the police raided a house in the Bengali colony of Noorabad village and allegedly seized beef, cow skin, and two sacks of bones and beef. Nine individuals were subsequently charged under the Madhya Pradesh Anti-Cow Slaughtering Act, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, and various sections of the Indian Penal Code related to rioting, assault, and intimidation.
The stringent National Security Act (NSA) was also invoked. To date, six people have been arrested, while three remain at large.
Authorities are conducting a search operation across Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to apprehend the absconding suspects, who are reportedly not natives of Morena district but had settled there for work. Following the incident, local officials conducted a survey of the accused's village, leading to the demolition of the houses of two accused individuals and the foundations of a third house.
Revenue officials claimed that the demolished houses were illegal and built without necessary permissions. The local gram panchayat had previously issued notices regarding the illegal constructions, and after a final notice on June 22 went unheeded, the decision was made to demolish the structures. The demolition was carried out with the assistance of the police and district administration.