'Is Haryana exercising ethnic cleansing of community?'

NT Correspondent

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday ordered a halt to the demolition drive in violence-hit Nuh and asked if it was an “exercise of ethnic cleansing”.

“Apparently, without any demolition orders and notices, the law and order problem is being used as a ruse to bring down buildings without following the procedure established by law,” the court of Justices G S Sandhawalia and Harpreet Kaur Jeevan said.

“The issue also arises whether the buildings belonging to a particular community are being brought down under the guise of law and order problem and an exercise of ethnic cleansing is being conducted by the State,” said the court which took suo motu cognizance of the matter.

The high court directed the state government not to further carry out the drive without following the procedure. The court also issued a notice of motion to the Haryana gover nment which was accepted by Advocate General B R Mahajan.

The matter has been fixed for hearing on August 11. Several “illegally-constructed” structures have been razed by the authorities in Nuh in the past few days.

The authorities demolished hundreds of houses, shops and other structures of Muslims in the district. The houses belonged to Muslim workers and the poor, and they were demolished on the same day notices were served.

The HC took suo motu cognizance of newspaper reports regarding the ongoing demolition drive in Nuh, Gurgaon which followed the violence.

While noting that reports also say that Haryana’s Home Minister himself has said that bulldozers are part of illaj (treatment) since the Government is probing violence, the HC remarked that “power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” Live Law reported.

Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, were killed in the violence.