A riot occurred in the city of Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, during an operation to demolish illegal constructions carried out by the Municipal Corporation. A group of Municipal Corporation employees, accompanied by three bulldozers and a police patrol, began dismantling kiosks, carts, and temporary stalls located along the road. Some carts were lifted by bulldozers, while other temporary shops were destroyed.
During the work, vendors present at the scene tried to plead with the team for a postponement, holding their hands up before them. This incident took place near the Maharani Lakshmi Bai Medical College.
Many people earned a living by setting up carts and temporary stalls in this area. The Municipal Corporation's emergency team arrived at the site with three bulldozers and police forces. The team started removing illegal constructions erected along the road from Gate No. 1 to Gate No. 3 of the Medical College. As the bulldozers moved forward, panic broke out among the present vendors. Some tried to gather their belongings, while others ran to the team to protect their carts.
Some vendors were seen holding their hands up to the Municipal Corporation employees, claiming that these carts and shops were the source of income for their families. Despite requests from some people to grant a small delay, the work continued. The Municipal Corporation confiscated several carts, and some temporary stalls and tumpers were demolished. During this process, some people also protested the team's actions, leading to disorder at the scene.
Vendors Nitu and Nikita Verma expressed their dissatisfaction with the team's actions. They claim that the team demolished their shops and took away their carts. Nitu stated that she is ill and undergoing treatment. Due to her illness, she had not opened her shop for two days. When she learned about the arrival of the illegal construction enforcement team, she came to the site but lost the cart key in the crowd and could not remove it in time. She accused the team of taking the cart and demolishing the tumper afterward. Furthermore, she claimed that her son's mobile phone was taken from him and he was treated roughly, although these accusations were not confirmed.
Pradip Agnihotri, the head of the illegal construction enforcement team, reported that the demolition operation started at the Virangan police station and was conducted from Gate No. 1 to Gate No. 3 of the Medical College. The team leader stated that the illegal constructions along the road were causing problems with dirt and traffic jams. He added that people were informed about the upcoming actions one day in advance, and the team had repeatedly asked the vendors to remove the structures during patrols. According to Pradip Agnihotri, the Municipal Corporation had to act because people did not remove their structures.
The Municipal Corporation team also warned the vendors that they were prohibited from setting up shops or carts in that location again. On one hand, the Municipal Corporation insists that the illegal constructions around the road and medical college were creating problems with congestion and unsanitary conditions, while on the other hand, the vendors view it as a matter of their livelihood.