Mumbai, Feb 28 (PTI) A rented tin shed scrap shop of the man held for allegedly raising slogans against India was razed following complaints from local residents in Malvan town of Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district and a notice was issued to its owner last month, a civic official said on Friday.
As the scrap dealer, his wife and their minor son faced legal troubles over the slogans which were raised after India defeated Pakistan in the Champions Trophy cricket match in Dubai on February 23, the scarred family is considering moving out of Malvan.
The scrap dealer and his wife were arrested while their son was detained on Sunday night after locals approached the Malvan police, accusing them of shouting “anti-India” slogans after the match. The next day, the Malvan Municipal Council (MMC) razed the 38-year-old man’s scrap shop taken on rent, dubbing it as an unauthorised construction.
The couple is now out on bail.
CEO and administrator of MMC Santosh Jirage told PTI that the temporary tin shade structure, spread across 10-15 gunthas (10,000-15,000 sq ft), was demolished because of complaints from local resident about scrap materials littered on the road.
There was no legal agreement between the owner and the tenants who are scrap dealers. A notice was given in January to the owner, who replied in writing saying the structure can be removed, he said.
It was just a coincidence that the action of demolition against the structure was taken a day after the India-Pakistan match, Jirage maintained.
”We got a letter from the local MLA and the police after which the temporary shed was demolished. There were 200-300 workers (of a political party) present at the spot (during demolition) and we don’t know what they did after we left,” he said.
Meanwhile, the scrap dealer and his family are now contemplating moving out of Malvan, a coastal town nearly 500km from Mumbai.
The elder brother of the scrap dealer also faced the wrath of authorities who demolished his scrap godown located near the shop.
The elder brother said he paid deposit to the owner of the land where godown stood and had been paying Rs 3,000 per month for the last four months, though there was no proper rent agreement between them.
He said members of his and younger brother’s family, which include their elderly father, have been residing in Malvan for the last 20 years though they originally hail from Uttar Pradesh.
The family is now thinking of moving elsewhere, a relative said.
A daughter of the scrap dealer’s elder brother studies in a local Marathi medium school and is currently appearing for SSC (Class 10) exams, he said.
“Her last paper is on March 17 and after that the family will move to another place. His son is in Class 9,” the relative said.
“The family is scared and concerned about their safety. They were staying in Malvan peacefully all these years and there was no issue before this incident,” he said.
One of the siblings of the scrap dealer, along with his wife, has already left the town without informing anybody, said the relative.
The police should investigate the case properly and find out what exactly happened, he said.
When contacted, a Malvan police official said the accused have been granted bail and cops will submit a chargesheet in a court after proper investigation. PTI DC/MR RSY
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