Uttam Nagar Holi murder: MCD razes suspect’s under-construction house in Delhi in ‘routine drive’

Court granted the accused’s family time to approach MCD Appellate Tribunal challenging the demolition order and directed the civic body to maintain status quo.

An under-construction multi-storey house belonging to an accused arrested in connection with the murder of a 26-year-old man in Uttam Nagar on Holi was demolished by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) amid heavy police deployment on Monday. The MCD and police, however, said the demolition was unrelated to the murder.

On March 4, 26-year-old Tarun Bhutolia was killed in a clash between his family and their neighbours from different communities in Hastsal Village. (HT File Photo)

The Delhi High Court on Monday restrained the MCD from taking coercive action against the property for 10 days. Justice Amit Bansal granted the accused’s family one week to approach the MCD Appellate Tribunal challenging the demolition order and directed the civic body to maintain status quo. “Having heard the counsels, one week’s time is given to file appeal. The MCD shall not take any further action against the property for a period of ten days,” the court observed.

A senior MCD official associated with the drive said the corporation was not targeting any particular house and that a notice had been issued to the property owner. “This is a case where new unauthorised construction was taking place, and we had issued a notice several days ago. This is illegal construction, and adjoining plots were being included to create a bigger property without any permission. We are taking such actions across the zone,” the official said. The official also claimed that no stay had been granted and that applications filed earlier in court were disposed of without any relief.

Notably, Uttam Nagar is an unauthorised colony where most buildings lack sanctioned plans.

A senior police officer said they were informed about the demolition drive on Monday morning, after which local police and paramilitary forces were deployed. “This was a routine exercise. A notice had been issued to the house owner weeks ago after the incident, and the house had also been sealed. The MCD has a monthly plan for demolition of such structures, and this was part of the drive,” the officer said.

When HT visited the spot, family members of the accused were not present. Locals said family members of all 16 accused in the murder case have not been staying in the area since the incident.

The court order followed a plea moved by Shahnaz on behalf of her father, Ismail, who has been lodged in Tihar Jail since March 5 in connection with the case. She contended that the MCD was proceeding to demolish their property on the ground of unauthorised construction without giving them an opportunity to be heard.

On March 4, 26-year-old Tarun Bhutolia was killed in a clash between his family and their neighbours from different communities in Hastsal Village. Police said the fight started after a water balloon hit a woman. So far, Delhi Police have arrested 16 persons, including two minors, in connection with the case.