SURAT: It seems that some people in Gujarat have taken a leaf out of the Bhupendra ‘Dada’ Patel govt’s book when it comes to “bulldozer justice“.
Portions of six houses were demolished at Kareli village of Jambusar taluka in the Bharuch district, allegedly by the family of a married woman, after she eloped with a man from the village who is divorced.
After the man’s family failed to bring him before the woman’s family, her family members went to the man’s neighbourhood and razed toilet blocks and other structures of six houses belonging to the man and his relatives.
Vedach police arrested six people including the bulldozer driver and seized the bulldozer.
According to the FIR, Mahesh Fulmali, a resident of Kareli, eloped with a married woman from the village.
Six arrested, bulldozer seized
Mahesh Fulmali allegedly went to the woman’s father’s village in Anklav taluka of Anand district a week ago and eloped with the woman. Her parents filed a complaint with Anklav police.
As the woman’s husband and family members learned about it in Kareli, they went to Fulmali’s home and threatened his family, demanding that he be produced in a couple of days.
As the Fulmali did not turn up, the woman’s husband and other family members went to Fulmali’s house and abused the people there. One of the accused allegedly slapped Fulmali’s sister.
At about 9pm on Friday, the woman’s family arrived with a bulldozer and started razing structures such as sheds, toilet blocks and unattached rooms. The accused razed constructions in the front of six homes, including that of Fulmali. His family then called the police, after which the accused fled.
On Saturday, Fulmali’s mother, Madhu, filed a complaint at Vedach police station against six persons, including the bulldozer operator, Mahendra Jadav, and five members of the woman’s family.
Vedach inspector B M Chaudhary said: “We have booked the accused for causing damage, causing hurt, unlawful assembly, criminal intimidation and breach of peace under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 324 (5), 189 (2), 191 (2), 190, 115 (1), 352
and 351 (3). Police have arrested the accused persons and seized the bulldozer.”
The woman’s family members claimed that they razed only illegal constructions outside the houses after the Fulmali family failed to produce Mahesh. They claimed that they razed the constructions in the presence of the sarpanch and deputy sarpanch.
On the whereabouts of the woman and Mahesh Fulmali, an Anklav police officer said: “We searched for Fulmali and the woman at Kareli village, but they were not there. We are analyzing call detail records and other leads to find them.”
Police across Gujarat have launched a drive to bring down raze illegal constructions of history-sheeters on the orders of DGP Vikas Sahay.
