On Tuesday (December 23), the Bareilly Development Authority (BDA) demolished a banquet hall owned by Wahid Beg, a property dealer reportedly close to Maulana Tauqeer Raza, who is the prime accused in the September 26 violence in Bareilly. The demolition operation began around 11:30 am, with a Poklen machine and two bulldozers deployed at the site.
Meanwhile, some women attempted to protest during the initial phase of the action. However, due to strong police presence, their resistance was quickly neutralised, and the demolition proceeded without disruption.
Structure Located in Izzatnagar Area Declared Unauthorised
The banquet hall, located in Faridapur Chaudhary village under the Izzatnagar police station limits, was razed after the BDA cited the absence of an approved building map. Therefore, the district administration deployed Magistrate Ramjanam Yadav at the site to oversee the operation. Alongside him, ATM City Saurabh Dubey was also present.
At the same time, security arrangements were led by SP City Manush Pareek, while Joint Secretary Deepak Kumar supervised the demolition on behalf of the BDA, along with his team.
Wahid Beg Ignored Repeated Hearing Notices
According to BDA Joint Secretary Deepak Kumar, Wahid Beg had constructed the banquet hall over nearly 400 square meters on Sikalapur Road by enclosing the area with a boundary wall. However, no sanctioned map was produced during inspections.
Earlier, the BDA had issued a notice on October 6, on which date the banquet hall was also sealed. Subsequently, a hearing was scheduled for October 18, but Wahid Beg failed to appear.
Legal Proceedings and Review Petition Cited by Family
Later, on November 11, Wahid Beg’s brother, Avid Beg, appeared before the authority and submitted an application seeking the removal of the seal. Moreover, he presented a copy of an order issued on November 4 by the Special Secretary in a revision petition titled Wahid Beg vs BDA.
However, the Special Secretary’s order only directed that the petitioner be given a fair hearing and that the case be resolved as per the Model Building Construction and Development Bye-laws and Model Zoning Regulations 2025. Therefore, after completing the procedural requirements, the BDA proceeded with the demolition.
Police Link Site to September 26 Violence Conspiracy
SP City Manush Pareek stated that the demolition was carried out strictly as per BDA regulations. Nevertheless, an adequate police force was deployed to maintain law and order.
Importantly, he revealed that during the investigation into the September 26 unrest, it emerged that a meeting had been held at this very location in Faridapur Chaudhary, where the alleged conspiracy to incite violence was discussed. However, he clarified that the demolition itself was an administrative action undertaken by the BDA in accordance with the law.
