Jaipur: Over 10 people were arrested on Wednesday, among them Shailendra and Pyarelal, leaders of the 59 families whose homes at Indira Nagar in Jhalana Doongri were demolished by authorities on July 25, on grounds that they were illegal occupants of government land.

DCP (East) Kunwar Rashtradeep, under whose jurisdiction the area falls, told TOI, “Two policemen sustained injuries as stones were pelted on them by Slum Dwellers sitting in protest. Eight people have been named and there are unnamed others too. The Nagar Nigam has brought us a case under Sections 332 and 353 of IPC, (which pertain to causing hurt to a government official in a bid to prevent him from carrying out his work and “assault or criminal force” to deter a government servant from performing his duty) which are non-bailable.” The police will investigate the matter and take action.

Bihari Lal Meena, who lost his home in the area, said, “I too got a Notice in May, but we replied within seven days. There was no warning ahead of the action on July 25.” His lawyer, Girdhar Gopal Sharma, told TOI, “The notice was received from the Municipal Corporation. But the land belongs to the Jaipur Development Authority, which had earlier issued notices and sealed some premises, but then unsealed them too. So the municipal corporation has no business demolishing the homes.”

Kavita Srivastava of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties expressed concern that poor people were being left without a roof over their heads in the rain. “There are little children and even old people in the area, left with no shelter,” she said.

Deputy Commissioner Ashok Yogi of the Jaipur Municipal Corporation, responsible for the Moti Doongri Zone, said, “We served 38 families notices on May 13. They were warned that their premises would be cleared in a week’s time. We have offered them so much more time. We were only doing our duty, our people were trying to erect a boundary wall in the area on Wednesday, but stones were hurled and two men sustained injuries.”

Nayan Jyoti, a student who lives in the vicinity and has been interacting with the slum dwellers for long, said, “There were three bulldozers with the police contingent that arrived on Wednesday morning. While one was demolishing even the temporary structures that had been erected since the action of July 25, some people were standing about talking to the policemen. Quite suddenly, another bulldozer began to move. People were only aiming at the bulldozer with the stones in a bid to prevent it from moving closer to where people were. One stone struck a policeman.”

Interns of the PUCL had earlier conducted a survey in the area to find that 27 of the families who lost their homes are Muslim. There were 30 Koli families and a Rana and Jogi family too whose homes were razed. On Wednesday, fresh notices were issued to slum dwellers in nearby areas, Kavita Srivastava said.

Congress state chief Sachin Pilot said, “Just days ago, the state human rights commission sought that government act to reclaim vast tracts of land illegally occupied by Asaram’s many ashrams. While so-called ‘holy men’ who are actually criminals get away with illegal occupation, poor people are punished for trying to find some space in the city. That is the quality of democracy these days.”