Bhopal: The district administration in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone that witnessed a communal clash following the Ram Navami procession has razed down 16 houses and 29 shops in five localities in the town. It is also reported that the authority had chosen houses and shops that had been marked as Muslim properties to demolish.
The authority justified the demolition drive citing that the buildings were raised on encroached land and the alleged stone pelting at the procession which caused the riot is believed to be thrown from there.
The bulldozing of houses and shops in the Khargone region began a day after the Home Minister Narottam Mishra said that the "we will turn the houses from where the stones were pelted to a heap of rubble."
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also said that the government is considering setting up a tribunal to bring the culprit before the law.
The riot had seen at least ten houses were burnt down and over a dozen people, including Superintendent of Police Siddharth Choudhary injured.
The demolition drive was carried out in Chhote Mohan Talkies area, Aurangpura, Khaskhaswadi, Ganesh Mandir and Talab chowk areas. Khaskhaswadi has seen the highest number of properties was demolished because it was reported that Bhawsar mohalla, located behind Khaskhaswadi was the place from where heavy stone pelting reported.
The authorities are said to have claimed that all the properties demolished in the riot hit region were illegal structures constructed on encroached land.