The house and office of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) corporator Mateen Patel were demolished by the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Wednesday morning, May 13. The civic body said the structures were illegal and linked to the TCS conversion case, news agency IANS reported.
The demolition drive was carried out in the presence of heavy police deployment and civic officials. Head of the Anti-Encroachment Department, Santosh Wahule, said, “This action is being taken after giving the final notice.”
The action comes after Mateen Patel allegedly provided shelter to TCS conversion case accused Nida Khan at a house in the Naregaon area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Earlier, the AMC had issued a notice to Mateen Patel under Section 478(2) of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949, over alleged unauthorised construction.
According to the notice, Patel was directed to remove the illegal construction within 24 hours. He later submitted an explanation and sought an extension. However, the administration decided to proceed with the demolition, stating that his documents and explanation were unsatisfactory.
Meanwhile, heavy police security was deployed in the Naregaon area to prevent any law and order issues during the operation. Residents were also seen showering flowers on the anti-encroachment team as the demolition drive began.
As soon as there was a hint that the municipal corporation was going to take action, MIM state president and former MP Imtiaz Jaleel, along with his 34 corporators and thousands of workers, entered Naregaon at 12:30 am. Alleging that "this action is being taken purely with political motives," the protesters had camped there till dawn. MIM had taken a stand that they would not allow any property to be touched under any circumstances.