Haji Shahzad Ali sees a conspiracy behind the whole episode
Team Clarion
CHHATARPUR — Haji Shahzad Ali, the Muslim leader whose bungalow was bulldozed and three luxury cars destroyed by the authorities over stone-pelting allegations in Madhya Pradesh’s Chatarpur district on Thursday, maintains that he has always cooperated with the police and even tried to stop the angry crowd during protests against Maharashtra priest Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj’s blasphemous remarks.
Authorities bulldozed the bungalow claiming that it was built without permission. Ali, a former Vice President of Congress in Chhatarpur, had gone to submit a memorandum to the administration during the protest demanding action against the priest for his inflammatory remarks on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Talking to local media, Ali said he was trying to stop and disperse the angry crowd at the request of the police officers.
“When the police force led by the DIG Sahab was trying to stop the crowd, a clash broke out. As the police started lathi-charge, some miscreants began pelting stones from the other side. Additional SP and SDM requested me to stop the angry crowd saying that it would listen to me. I managed to disperse the crowd even though stones were also pelted at me. Two chappals also fell on me,” he said.
Ali said he left the spot after stones were also being pelted by the policemen including the DIG as the situation deteriorated.
According to him, he had submitted memoranda several times in the past on various issues but there has never been any stone pelting. This was the first time when the peace of the city was disturbed. There seems to be some conspiracy behind the incident.
“The chief minister is not aware of the facts. The police administration was misled about me. I always worked with the police. When the DIG was the SP in the district, we also worked with them. Never had such violence erupted. This time, some anti-social elements were involved,” said Ali.
He appealed to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and the administration to conduct a fair investigation to identify the actual rioters.
Ali also pointed out that he was not present at the protest from the beginning. He had reached there later when he was called.
Apart from Ali’s bungalow, properties belonging to his brothers and other accused were also demolished.
Apart from the demolitions, the videos of the accused being paraded in the city by the police have also gone viral on social media. The videos show the police holding hands of the arrested Muslims being paraded and raising inflammatory slogans “Police Hamara Baap Hai, Apradh Karna Paap Hai” (Police is our father, committing crime is a sin).
Meanwhile, political leaders, prominent lawyers and activists slammed the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) government calling the bulldozer actions an attack on the constitution.
Lok Sabha MP Chandra Sekhar Azad said: “In Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, at the behest of the Chief Minister @DrMohanYadav51 Haji Shahzad’s house was demolished with a bulldozer and the oath that he had taken while assuming the charge of Chief Minister was also demolished (bulldozed) because just like every brick of the house was destroyed, in the same way every word of the oath was also destroyed”.
He added “It seems that the government has become the judiciary, I request the Hon’ble @indSupremeCourt to take suo motu cognizance and stop the “bulldozer actions” which are against the law”.
