Eight police personnel and two civilians were injured and four vehicles, including a police jeep were damaged in a late night clash between police and public when police arrested three Congress leaders who were staging dharma at Haj House near Hindon river to allow Haj pilgrims to stay in it.
The incident occurred on Monday late night at 10.50 pm at Haj House and it continued till 3 am. Ghaziabad district administration officials said that the custodian of Haj House is Haj Committee at lucknow and they have yet to receive No Objection Certificate (NOC) for it completion from various departments. Haj House lacks basic amenities and also National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken cognizance after green activists petitioned against the structure since it was built on Hindon River bed.
Congress leaders were demanding to allow Haj pilgrims to coming from Uttarakhand and Eastern UP to stay in the Haj house. However, the district administration refused to allow them to stay there.
Ignoring the ground reality, Congress leaders Naseem Khan and Puja Chaddha, along with 50 odd supporters, started protesting on Monday evening. The administration ignored their protest, thinking that it was not a threat to the law and order. Situation took an ugly turn after more people joined the protest.
Earlier, district administration had enforced section 144 of CrPC in the district in the wake of Kanwar festival. At about 10 pm, ADM (City) Preety Jaiswal and Additional SP Anoop Singh visited the site and asked the protesters to end the protest but the protesters refused. Police used force to clear the ground and in the resultant clash, four vehicles were damaged and 10 people sustained injuries.
"Three people Naseem Khan, Sameer Khan and Puja Chaddha have been arrested under sections 147, 148, 149, 307, 427, 332, 353, 188, 323 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The accused were produced before the court and sent to judicial custody.
The FIR included 11 other named people along with 400 unnamed people. Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and local police have been deployed on the site and the situation is under control" said Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Anoop Singh.
Additional District Magistrate (ADM) (City) Preety Jaiswal told The Pioneer, "District administration is not the custodian of the building. It is the Haj Committee at lucknow which controls and maintains it. They are knocking at the wrong door. The building was inaugurated by the Samajwadi party Government despite being incomplete. Even the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) has yet not been installed there so how the pilgrims can be allowed to stay in an incomplete building".
"The building does not have clearance from the Fire Department, Pollution Control Board, Underground Water Authority and other Government departments. Moreover, green activists had filed a complaint with National Green Tribunal (NGT) alleging that the building was constructed on Hindon river bed. It was inaugurated on July 6, 2016 by the then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. NGT notice reached late and had it been delivered to the district administration, the inauguration could have been cancelled", the ADM said.
How the district administration can allow pilgrims to stay in an incomplete building while the administration is facing litigation on water exploitation and pollution etc.