Haryana government told the court that its #demolition drive in #Nuh was against unauthorised construction. How valid is the claim?

Our researchers @sukriti_vats and @Priyansha_C investigated land deeds of razed properties for @frontline_india.

A #thread on the findings.

The 5-day demolition drive after the July 31 communal violence was seen as a punitive action by the state. Punjab & Haryana High Court compared it to “ethnic cleansing”. Authorities justified it by citing unauthorised construction, encroachment & involvement in the violence.

But the land documents point to arbitrary action. Over 50 properties were torn down in Nalhar, Firozpur Jhirka, and Nagina areas, despite title deeds and court documents proving lawful possession. Many demolitions went against ‘court order’, land titles and the rule of law.

On August 4, 18 shops were demolished on Mohammad Sahud's ancestral land in Nuh district. Permanent structures, on approx. 4,400 sqft, including pharmacies, diagnostic centres, and grocery shops were razed. Sahud had court orders to prove his “settled possession”.

In Nalhar, Mohd Arif and his three brothers lost 24 shops, including pathology labs and pharmacies. Arif built those shops on his ancestral land. He had registration proof for eight of his shops.

Similarly, Mohammad Shareef and Saleem, who owned six and one shop respectively, had sale deeds in their name. They claim their properties were demolished without any notice or prior warning

Mubin, the owner of a Kajaria tiles showroom in Nuh town, hasn't understood why a part of his showroom was bulldozed. He has both the sale deed and the permit. He initially couldn't survey the losses because of the curfew.