Khori village: 70-year-old kills self ahead of demolition drive, situation tense

A tense situation prevailed in Khori village of Faridabad on Wednesday morning after a 70-year-old resident allegedly killed himself upon finding out that his property would be demolished in the upcoming drive in the Aravallis. Residents gathered in large numbers at the house of the deceased and pelted stones at the police, following which 100 people were booked for disturbing the law and order situation, the police said.

A tense situation prevailed in Khori village of Faridabad on Wednesday morning after a 70-year-old resident allegedly killed himself upon finding out that his property would be demolished in the upcoming drive in the Aravallis. Residents gathered in large numbers at the house of the deceased and pelted stones at the police, following which 100 people were booked for disturbing the law and order situation, the police said.

Residents of Khori village meet to discuss their current situation. (Vipin Kumar /HT PHOTO)

The police also registered a case against a property dealer who had fraudulently sold a plot to the 70-year-old man. His 36-year-old son, who works as a security guard, told the police that the family was living in the village for the past 14 years and his father had bought the land from a property dealer about 15 years ago.

The 70-year-old man had recently completed the construction of his house by investing around ₹3 lakh. However, last week, the Supreme Court ordered the demolition of about 10,000 houses in the area as they encroach on the Aravalli forest area.

“The property dealer had sold the land to my father saying that the ownership of this land would remain his and there would be no problem. When my father came to know that his house would also be demolished, he committed suicide,” the son told the police.

The Faridabad police, in a statement on Wednesday, said, “On the above complaint, police station Surajkund has started an investigation by registering a case against the property dealer. The property dealer selling government land to gullible people will be traced and arrested.”

Anshu Singla, the deputy commissioner of police (NIT), appealed to people to maintain law and order. “The police is continuously working to identify all accused and arrest them at the earliest. We appeal to residents to maintain law and order; legal action will be taken against those trying to disturb the situation,” said Singla.

On Monday, the Faridabad district magistrate released an order prohibiting the gathering of five or more persons “within a radius of 200 metres of village Khori” fearing heavy protest by occupants and the possibility of unrest.

Locals in the area said that the 70-year-old man used to run a grocery shop, but had not opened his shop in the past week.

Ravindra Prasad, a 48-year-old resident of Khori and a neighbour of the 70-year-old man, said, “We all knew him as he had a small shop and we would purchase items regularly. He had been tense since last week, when the Supreme Court ordered all our houses to be demolished. He kept worrying about his children and where they would live as he had spent all his money to build the house and did not have the financial strength to rent another room.”

Residents of the area said that the man’s wife had also died around five months ago, due to health issues.

Residents of Khori village had been protesting since last week, seeking rehabilitation, after the SC ordered the eviction of slum dwellers encroaching on the Aravalli forest area in the Faridabad district.