Clashes rocked Akbar Nagar locality in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow on Sunday evening as locals hurled stones at police and administration officials during an anti-encroachment drive in the locality.

Uttar Pradesh News: Tension gripped Akbar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow as residents reportedly clashed with the police and administration personnel who were carrying out an anti-encroachment drive in the the locality.

According to officials, locals pelted stones at police and administration officials after rumours spread that someone was trapped beneath the debris of a building which was razed by authorities.

As per reports, the alleged incident took place on Sunday evening when a team Lucknow Development Authority and the administration, accompanied by the police, was demolishing illegal structures in the locality along the Faizabad Road.

लखनऊ: अकबर नगर में भारी बवाल-पथराव pic.twitter.com/vQClxBDOdz

— Mohammad Imran (@ImranTG1) March 10, 2024

“Three commercial establishments were being demolished after the high court dismissed writs. While two structures were demolished, locals — spurred on by some rumour — started pelting the administration officials and the police with stones during demolition of the third one,” Lucknow Development Authority Vice-Chairman Indramani Tripathi told news agency PTI, adding that no one injured in the incident.

Situation under control

Giving details, Tripathi said some residents said that the debris from the demolished buildings damaged their houses and were allotted houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

“Some locals said debris from the demolished structures damaged their structures, following which seven people were allotted houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana,” Tripathi said and added that the situation is under control.

Around 74 BPL card holders of Akbar Nagar had filed a writ petition in the high court, seeking a stay on the development authority’s raze drive.

The drive was carried out as the slum has allegedly come up illegally on government land. There are around 1,400 houses in the slum.

Tripathi said the drive is underway to raze commercial establishments and not residential ones, according to the high court’s directive.

Last week, the Allahabad High Court had directed all residents to vacate the disputed premises on or before March 31.

Joint Police Commissioner Upendra Agarwal said a rumour was spread that someone had become trapped under the debris during the demolition drive, leading to some people pelting stones.

The situation was brought under control, he said and added that no FIR has been registered in this connection.

BJP’s ‘Awas Vinash Yojana’

Earlier, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had attacked the BJP government over the destitute conditions of Akbar Nagar residents.

ये है भाजपा की ‘आवास विनाश योजना’ : लखनऊ के अकबरनगर के उजड़ते हुए परिवार कुछ कहना चाहते हैं।

परिवारवाले ही परिवारवालों का दर्द समझते हैं। #नहीं_चाहिए_भाजपा pic.twitter.com/eUy2daROsv

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) March 10, 2024

“This is the BJP’s ‘Awas Vinash Yojna (housing destruction plan)’. The families of the devastated Akbar Nagar of Lucknow want to say something. Only those who have families can understand the pain of these families,” Yadav said in a post on X.

(With PTI inputs)