New Delhi: The Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) last week demolished two luxury hotels allegedly operating illegally in the city’s green belt, prompting accusations of religious discrimination.
The owner of one of the hotels claimed to ThePrint that his establishment was demolished because he and his family were the “only Muslims in this area involved in the hotel business”. VDA Vice President Pulkit Garg, however, denied the claim and said the hotels had been in violation of building codes for years and repeatedly ignored notices.
According to media reports, the incident took place during a demolition drive carried out by the VDA Saturday against two hotels in the city’s green belt, Banaras Kothi and River Palace. While the civic body maintains hotel owners were notified of alleged violations as early as 2016 and were also sent multiple reminders, the owners claim their properties were demolished hastily without adequate time granted to them for compliance.
Amid the controversy, a video also surfaced of Alok Verma, Additional District Magistrate of Varanasi (City), ‘headbutting’ a man during the drive to clear illegal construction. A video of the incident shows Verma charging headfirst towards a man, identified as a hotel owner.
ThePrint reached Alok Verma for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
Sharing a video of Verma ‘headbutting’ one of the hotel owners, Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on X (formerly Twitter) Saturday termed it a “unique freestyle head strike Olympic game in UP’s much-awaited Kyoto”.
The dig was also aimed at the ruling BJP, which had promised in 2014 to develop Varanasi along the lines of the Japanese city of Kyoto.
उप्र भाजपा सरकार के अधिकारियों ने यूपी के प्रतीक्षारत क्योटो में शुरू किया अपने तरह का अनोखा फ़्री स्टाइल हेड स्ट्राइक ओलम्पिक गेम। इस खेल में प्रदेश सरकार कौन सा मेडल देती है, ये देखना बाक़ी है। इनके ख़िलाफ़ क्या कार्रवाई की जाएगी, ये बात इस पर निर्भर करेगी कि ये किस खेमे के… pic.twitter.com/WQVZ8wJMCJ
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) July 27, 2024
“UP BJP government officials have started a unique freestyle head-strike Olympics game in UP’s much-awaited Kyoto. It remains to be seen which medal the state government awards for it. What action will be taken against them will depend on which camp they belong to,” wrote Yadav.
He added, “This is the golden period of administration in the country’s main parliamentary constituency. Is there anyone in Delhi? (because Lucknow is empty).”
Civic body refutes ‘religious targeting’ claim
One of the hotel owners, Mohammad Farooq Khan, told The Print that both hotels in question are registered in the names of his brother and deceased father and have proper licences.
A notice was issued at 9 PM the day before the demolition, he claimed, adding that they were asked to stop taking bookings and their power and water supplies were then cut.
“We are the only Muslims in this area involved in the hotel business, and we believe this is why we are being targeted. We host Shiva Purana and Bhagwat Katha events at lowest rates. Recently, people from Gujarat came here for a Shiva Purana event, and during that time, our power was cut off,” he said.
However, VDA Vice President Pulkit Garg told ThePrint that the demolition order for the two hotels was initially issued in 2017 and that teams from the civic body had visited the site multiple times in the past.
“In 2017, when our team went there, they pushed women to the front, using them as shields. This tactic made enforcement difficult, as it is challenging to act when women are in the front. Women even threatened to set themselves on fire. They tried every method to deter our team,” he said.
“Recently, they received approval for a G+2 (ground plus two floors) housing map but built a G+5 (ground plus five floors) hotel instead, blatantly violating building bylaws. They sought relief but were denied. They have been trying to obstruct the lawful process for more than seven or eight years. This isn’t a one-time issue,” Garg added.
Garg also rubbished claims by the hotel owners that they were targeted because of their religious identity. Multiple FIRs are registered against the owners of the building, he said.
He further pointed out that the Varanasi Development Authority sent 170 notices to owners of as many as 61 properties and sealed 6-7 properties just in the past month. A total of 10 FIRs have also been lodged in connection with these cases, he said.
Adding, “On 19 July, their electricity connection was cut off. A week earlier, their water connection was cut off, but being notorious as they are, they installed generators and submersible pumps. Despite receiving multiple notices, they continued to defy orders.
“At that time, they claimed they had guests staying on the premises. Our team visited the site after 21 July and were informed that they had 300-400 guests, using this as an excuse to prevent demolition. They promised to cooperate once the guests left, but even after the guests had departed, they continued to resist our efforts.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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The Print is engaging in yellow journalism. News articles like this are examples of that.
Objectivity has gone for a toss. So has “unhyphenated journalism”.
Jai Hind
Please for God’s sake Don’t bring religion in between.
If the Property is build Legal NO ONE CAN TOUCH IT.
prove them if you have valid Document’s.
Does Day’s have gone.
Jai Hind
Hello Print Team,Please dont try to spew lies and create sensation/communal tension!!. I had respect for your so called “unbiased” journalism (I am a paid subscriber), but after seeing your news coverage and the articles from Sagarika Ghose(TMC MP) your hypocrisy is out now!!. You are paid by political parties like TMC and Congress, why Mr. Gupta keeps asking for subscriptions from viewers!