Ahmedabad: In a sweeping demolition drive carried out by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), over 7,000 structures—primarily homes of Muslims—were razed in the Chandola Talab area on Tuesday, leaving thousands of families homeless and scrambling to salvage their belongings, reported the Hindustan Times.
The administration has justified the demolitions on the grounds of “national security,” citing alleged illegal occupation by undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants, following the April 26 Pahalgam terror attack. However, human rights activists and community leaders argue that most of the displaced residents are Indian citizens, many of whom possess valid Aadhaar and voter ID cards.
According to reports, more than 6,500 individuals—mainly Muslims—have been detained for citizenship verification since the incident.
This mass eviction follows the Gujarat High Court’s April 29 verdict, which upheld a previous ruling declaring structures around Chandola Lake as unauthorized. A day earlier, on April 28, the AMC had demolished over 4,000 homes in Siyasatnagar and Bengali Vaas, displacing thousands of migrant laborers from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Bengal.
Community leaders have expressed strong opposition, accusing the state of using national security as a pretext to target Muslims. Mujahid Nafees, convener of the Minority Coordination Committee, condemned the operation as “completely inhumane.” He stated, “People have been residing here for over four decades. Using the Pahalgam attack to justify this mass eviction is unjust.”
Wasif Hussain from Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Gujarat also criticized the state for failing to provide any rehabilitation or alternate housing. “Elderly people, women, and children are being evicted in scorching heat, with no place to go,” he said.
Rights organizations are now urging the government to immediately rehabilitate all displaced families and ensure their safety and dignity.
