The Junagadh Municipal Corporation has conducted a significant operation, resulting in the demolition of the disputed Dargah near Majewadi Gate in the city, which was illegally constructed. Additionally, other religious encroachments were also cleared. Notably, the dargah at Majewadi Gate had been the focal point of a riot last year when a Muslim mob created a ruckus against the issuance of an encroachment removal notice.
The dargah was located near the Majewadi gate. Junagadh Municipal Corporation team removed it in a bulldozer action at night. A heavy police force was deployed at this time. At present, the place has been completely vacated. The debris was also taken away overnight. The operation was carried out late at night.
The operation to demolish the Dargah commenced at 2 a.m. amidst the presence of approximately 1000 police officers. By 5 a.m., the entire road was cleared as the Dargah was completely flattened. A barricade spanning 300-400 meters was set up in advance. This Dargah, built nearly two decades ago near Majwadi Darwaza, steadily expanded over time. Previous attempts were made to dismantle this illegally occupied Dargah, which obstructed the road.
The dargah, located near Majewadi Gate, was illegally built and the civic body had issued a notice in June 2023 to remove it. But as soon as the notice was received, the Muslim mob started gathering near the dargah. When the police went to convince them at night, the Muslim mob fiercely attacked the police personnel in which many policemen were injured.
An FIR filed later in the case revealed that the frenzied mob attacked the policemen with the slogan of ‘Allahu Akbar’ to kill them. Meanwhile, an ST bus was also targeted and stones were thrown and several vehicles were also torched. An innocent Hindu man was killed in the incident.
After all, the administration of Junagadh has demolished this controversial dargah. However, some other religious pressures have also been removed. These include the Jalaram temple near the lake gate and the temple of Ramdevpir on the railway station road. However, the Hindu community respected the law and extended full support to the system. All these actions took place at night.
Bulldozer action in Gujarat for the last several days
For the past several days, the Gujarat state government has been actively addressing encroachments, resulting in the removal of illegal structures across various locations. Just 24 hours ago, three unauthorised madrassas were demolished in Khavda, Kutch. The local administration utilised bulldozers to clear these illegally constructed institutions. Additionally, on Friday (8th March), bulldozers were employed to reduce to rubble two illegal bungalows built by the notorious criminal Razzaq Saicha and his brother in Jamnagar.