Shrikant Tyagi was arrested after social media uproar.
Grand Omaxe Society in Uttar Pradeh's Noida, where jailed politician Shrikant Tyagi was recently seen on video abusing a woman resident, saw high voltage drama today as well with bulldozers rolling in along with a police team to remove illegal encroachments. Residents of the housing complex initially locked the entry gate of the society and sat on a dharna (sit-in protest) outside the gate, requesting the authorities to spare their houses.
Multiple excavators and around half a dozen dumper trucks were used to carry out the demolition, Noida authority officials said. The exercise was carried out amid heavy police presence.
This comes more than a month after illegal construction outside the apartment of Shrikant Tyagi, who is said to be close to the BJP, was demolished. The latest provocation seems to be a request from Shrikant Tyagi's wife Anu Tyagi who had questioned why only parts of her house were demolished when several others also had illegal construction.
Anu Tyagi had three days back got into a fresh feud with fellow residents after she planted palm trees in the common garden in front of her apartment. When the authority's excavators reached the spot to remove it, she was seen protesting the move. She physically held on to the machines. "Action taken by breaking my house was done after a one-sided probe and the same is now being done to my trees, I will not let it happen," she told news agency ANI.
Three days ago, Anu Tyagi had illegally planted 20 trees in the common area of the society. She had also called for demolition of all illegal construction in the society, just like it was done to her ground floor apartment.
The Noida Authority had given notice to the entire society and said that in 48 hours, i.e. by Friday, everyone should remove their encroachment or else it will be demolished by force.
34-year-old Shrikant Tyagi, who claimed to be a BJP farmer wing leader, was arrested under the UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act on August 9 from Meerut by the Noida police over the August 5 video of his abusive misbehaviour with a woman. It took a massive search operation as he changed locations and vehicles while on the run. He had abused the woman when she confronted him over the illegal use of the same common area.
The Noida police on Thursday booked around 75 people, mostly members of the Tyagi community, who had protested in support of Shrikant Tyagi outside his society.
Shrikant Tyagi got bail in that case earlier this month, but remains in jail for other cases.