Defending the demolition drive in Haryana's Nuh, the state government said that no structure was razed against the law and that the exercise was "not remotely a case of ethnic cleansing".
Defending the demolition drive in Haryana's Nuh, the state government said that no structure was razed against the law and that the exercise was "not remotely a case of ethnic cleansing". The court further said that though the Muslim-Hindu population ratio in Nuh is 80:20 the demolition proportion was 70:30.
The demolition drive was started days after communal clashes broke out in Nuh on July 31 after a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession was pelted with stones. The Haryana High Court had questioned the drive and asked if it was an "exercise of ethnic cleansing". The court of Justices G S Sandhawalia and Harpreet Kaur Jeevan took suo motu cognisance and halted the exercise. The state has prepared a 400-page reply and annexed all the documents detailing the procedure followed before the demolition drive, as directed by the court.
In a reply which it will submit to the Punjab and Haryana High Court registry, the state government has said though the Muslim-Hindu population ratio in Nuh is 80:20, the demolition proportion was 70:30.
As per 2011 census, Nuh is predominantly a Muslim-dominated regiony and the (population) ratio is 80:20, the state said. "In the demolition drive which was carried out in Gurugram (the structures involved in it) entirely belong to one community -- the Hindu community. But in Nuh, we have said in our reply that as per 2011 Census the dominance is of the Muslim community. So, in this we have annexed the chart and notices that inspite of this, the demolition which is carried out the ratio (of demolitions) is 70:30," the state noted.
Retorting to claims of the court, Haryana's Additional Advocate General Deepak Sabharwal said, "It cannot be remotely said that it is a case of ethnic cleansing. It was only an apprehension by the court which the state has totally demonstrated in its reply that entire procedure has been followed."
Citing one example, he said some structures were razed in Nuh on the order of the NGT as they were in violation of the Punjab Land Preservation Act. "For state, all are equal and it is not remotely a case of ethnic cleansing. The state is very clear about it," he said. "We will be filing reply before the registry on Saturday." said Sabharwal.
He also said demolitions are carried out by different wings of the government including municipal councils and the state's urban development authority but no data is collected about the religion or caste of those affected.