200 Muslim shanties burnt in Meerut in the name of ‘operation against encroachments’

Meerut, 13 Mar 2019 [Fik/News Sources]: More than 200 homes of Muslims in Macheraan Basti of Meerut district  in Uttar Pradesh were set on fire allegedly by cops during an operation against encroachments in the area.

However, the police has alleged the unknown miscreants for heinous act, saying: “Some of the shanties were set on fire by some miscreants when they were trying to evict the encroachers.”

Meanwhile, PTI reported that a joint anti-encroachment drive by the Cantonment Board and the local police, coupled with resistance from a mob, left over 150 shanties gutted in the fire and damaged several vehicles in Meerut’s Macheran slum on 7 March.

Amid varying reports and little clarity on the exact details of incident, there is no clear evidence about the cause of the fire.

However, a video, which is being widely circulated, shows a Muslim man, accusing the police for the shanties being set on fire. The chaos that ensued even took a minor communal colour, thereby escalating the tension.