Two booked for claiming demolition of shops ‘under AMC’s watch’

Two booked for claiming demolition of shops 'under AMC's watch' Afterwards, the AMC clarified that the shops in the Nana Chiloda area of Ahmedabad were demolished by the landowner and that the civic body had no role in it.

Key points

• Ritu Sharma is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express' Gujarat bureau, an editorial position that reflects her experience and Authority in regional journalism.
• The private land comes under the jurisdiction of Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) Naroda.
• The complainant remarked he and his boss, Deputy Estate Officer Vikram Katariya, inspected the site.
• Brendan Dabhi works with The Indian Express, focusing his comprehensive reporting primarily on Gujarat.
• After the events in Surat's Nasirnagar weeks ago, another demolition kicked up a row in Gujarat.

Police Inspector BM Kataria of Naroda police station remarked the police would arrest the two men and investigate why they maintained on video that the demolition had been carried out by the AMC.

After the events in Surat's Nasirnagar weeks ago, another demolition kicked up a row in Gujarat. Two employees of a security agency were booked in a police case after they allegedly asserted that some shops were being demolished on the orders of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

Afterwards, the AMC clarified that the shops in the Nana Chiloda area of Ahmedabad were demolished by the landowner and that the civic body had no role in it.

Rajesh Shankar Yadav (32) and Kamal Manoj Pamnani (32) of Rajpur Security Agency were charged with impersonation of a public servant after a complaint by Narendra Babu Patel, Town Development Office (TDO) Inspector, North Zone.

Yadav and Pamnani were purportedly heard saying in a viral video that the demolition was being carried out at the behest of the AMC.

"The private land comes under the jurisdiction of Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) Naroda. AMC issued no demolition order. The two shops running on rent were demolished by the owner of the property, " Vishal Khanama, in-charge Deputy Municipal Commissioner (North Zone) informed The Indian Express.

Patel stated in the FIR: "At 3: 45 pm on August 24, I saw a video of some individuals demolishing shops next to a petrol pump in Nana Chiloda on the Ahmedabad -Himmatnagar highway. In the video, individuals were seen saying that it was being done on the orders of the AMC."

Notably, the complainant remarked he and his boss, Deputy Estate Officer Vikram Katariya, inspected the site.

"There, we discovered that three shop owners had demolished portions of their shops that were encroaching the road. But there were three other shops near the boundary of Naroda GIDC whose encroached portions, the accused alleged, had been demolished by the AMC, " stated the FIR.

For context, the complainant remarked he called the police and filed the complaint. The security agency's personnel were booked under BNS sections 204 (impersonating a public servant) and 54 (abetment).

"Nana Chiloda comes under GIDC Naroda Executive Authority. So, there is no question of us issuing any demolition order. Instead, there was some dispute between the tenants and the owner. This piece of land was purchased from GIDC, but afterwards auctioned by the Bank of Baroda after the previous owner failed to pay the amount. So the existing owner obtained these shops demolished. The existing owner's private security men, during the demolition, remarked in the video that the AMC issued the order. AMC has filed a police case against those who misused the AMC's name, " Khanama continued.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd.

Brendan Dabhi works with The Indian Express, focusing his comprehensive reporting primarily on Gujarat. He covers the region's most critical social, legal, and administrative sectors, notably specializing at the intersection of health, social justice, and disasters. Expertise Health and Public Policy: He has deep expertise in healthcare problems, including rare diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), the complex logistics of organ transplants, and public health challenges like drug-resistant TB and heat health surveillance. His on-ground reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic and Mucormycosis was critical in exposing healthcare challenges faced by marginalized communities in Gujarat. Social Justice and Legal Administration: He reports on the functioning of the legal and police system, including the impact of judicial philosophy, forensics and crucial administrative reforms (. He covers major surveillance and crackdown exercises by the Gujarat police and security on the international border. Disaster and Crisis Management: His work closely tracks how administration and civic bodies respond to large-scale crises, providing essential coverage on the human and administrative fallout of disasters including cyclones, floods, conflict, major fires and noted extensively on the AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad. As well as the enforcement of municipal regulations and their impact on residents and heritage, civic Infrastructure and Governance: Provides timely reports on critical civic failures, including sizeable scale infrastructure projects by the railways and civic bodies.

Ritu Sharma is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express' Gujarat bureau, an editorial position that reflects her experience and Authority in regional journalism. With over a decade of concentrated reporting experience, she is a highly Trustworthy and specialized journalist, especially observed for her Expertise in the education sector throughout Gujarat and previously Chandigarh. Expertise Primary Authority (Education): With over ten years of dedicated reporting on education in both Gujarat and Chandigarh, Ritu Sharma is a foremost authority on educational policy, institutional governance, and ground realities from "KG to PG." Her coverage includes: Higher Education: In-depth scrutiny of top institutions like IIM-Ahmedabad (controversies over demolition/restoration of heritage architecture), IIT-Bombay (caste discrimination problems), and new initiatives like international branch campuses in GIFT City. Schooling & Policy: Detailed coverage of administration schemes (Gyan Sadhana School Voucher Scheme), the implementation and impact of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, teacher recruitment matters, and the impact of national policies like the NEP. Student Welfare: Reporting on critical problems such as suicide allegations due to caste discrimination, and the challenges faced by students (e.g., non-delivery of NAMO tablets).

For now, two booked for claiming demolition of shops 'under AMC's watch' remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.