Anti-demolition stir turns violent
Tension prevailed at Subhash Chowk on Wednesday after angry residents, who were protesting against Huda's demolition drive, clashed with the police.
Tension prevailed at Subhash Chowk on Wednesday after angry residents, who were protesting against Huda's demolition drive, clashed with the police.
Traffic came to a halt and commuters were stranded as hundreds of protesters burned tyres on Sohna Road, leading to chaos during the peak hours.
Trouble began when a demolition team of Huda reached Subhash Chowk to demolish 25 illegal shops.
Area shopkeepers soon assembled on the spot and allegedly tried to thwart the drive.
The situation went out of hand as protesters clashed with the police personnel. The protesters also staged a protest and raised slogans.
Huda officials say they initiated the demolition drive on the orders of the high court.
"The shopkeepers moved the high court against us and lost the legal battle on April 9 this year. The court gave the verdict in our favour. We are authorised to remove illegal structures," said a Huda official on the condition of anonymity.
However, area shopkeepers say Huda served the demolition notice on them just a day ago.
"The demolition notice was served on us a day ago. When we opposed their move, Huda officials misbehaved with us. We will protest till the decision is taken back," said a protester.
Meanwhile, school buses and ambulances were stuck in the jam for nearly four hours. The blockade also affected vehicular movement from Subhash Chowk to Rajiv Chowk.
"I was at Rajiv Chowk around 11.30am and managed to leave the area after 2pm," said Rohini Sharma, a commuter.
"Traffic came to a standstill around 11 am. It was restored at 3pm. The traffic police were unable to control the situation," said Rakesh Kumar, a resident.
On the other hand, the traffic police said they immediately took action and normalised the flow of traffic.
"We swung into action after getting information about the protest at Sohna Chowk," said a senior traffic police official.
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