Claiming that their houses are built on encroached land, the Uttar Pradesh government has sent eviction notices to 47 families of Nutan Hardo village in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar village, out of which 44 are Muslim.
Sana Ejaz | TwoCircles.net
NEW DELHI — 44 Muslim families have been asked to vacate their homes in Nutan Hardo village in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar district with the administration claiming that the houses have been built on “encroached land.”
The Uttar Pradesh government has sent eviction notices to 47 families of Nutan Hardo village, Padrauna tehsil of Kushinagar, out of which 44 are Muslims.
Locals alleged that on December 25, the Lekhpal (revenue officer) came to their village and vandalized some houses and shops of the villagers while serving the notice.
60-year-old Sayida Bano, from Nutan Hardo village, told TwoCircles.net that her family has been living in the village for generations and yet they were served the eviction notice.
When asked why they have been served the eviction notice, Sayida said, “We are Muslims and that’s why we have been served this eviction notice.”
Sayida said that many others have been served the eviction notice as well, including older people. “Where will we go in this cold? We have no other place,” she said.
Another woman, who requested to remain anonymous, told TwoCircles.net that they have been asked to vacate their house in six days or face consequences.
“Some villagers along with the police vandalized our houses and shops and also looted them. The police did not go to the nearest settlement occupied by Hindus, and neither their houses were demolished nor their shops were looted,” she said.
In its notice, the administration claims that those who have been asked to shift are living on encroached land.
“In compliance with the order passed by the court, all the encroachers are informed to shift the material kept in their respective houses with immediate effect. In case of non-compliance, you will be solely responsible for the follow-up action. By order: Tehsildar Padrauna,” the notice said.
As per a report in India Tomorrow, the villagers claim that the houses and shops that were vandalized are owned by Muslims. “There are more than 500 such houses in other settlements as well. However, the notice has been received only by the Muslim houses,” the India Tomorrow report quotes locals as saying.
Most of the families who have been given notice are poor and earn their livelihood as daily wage labourers.
Despite several efforts by TwoCircles.net, Circle Officer (CO) and Padrona Police station refused to comment on the issue. The story will be updated as and when the response is received.
Sana Ejaz is an independent journalist from Bihar. She tweets @SanaEjaz_