Surat Civic Body Suspends 5 Over Slum Demolition It Claims It Did Not Order

Days after nearly 100 houses in Surat's Nasirnagar slum were demolished, the civic body has suspended five officials. Curiously, Surat Municipal Commissioner M Nagarajan had told the Gujarat High Court that the demolition was not carried out by the civic body.

The suspended officials have been identified as Executive Engineers Sujalkumar Dharamshibhai Prajapati and Jayang Rajnikant Jivanramjiwala, Deputy Engineer Arpan Mansukhlal Parmar, Assistant Engineer Monik Babubhai Gadhiya, and Junior Engineer Nareshkumar Binalbhai Galchar.

This disciplinary action marks a sharp turn from the civic body's initial denial of any involvement in the massive demolition drive.

Lawyers representing the state government and the civic commissioner, admitted to the Gujarat High Court that what transpired at Nasirnagar should never have happened.

The state government further informed the bench that a specialised team of officials is actively investigating the matter and that the police had been intimated in advance to maintain law and order during what was supposed to be a demarcation process.

The High Court had questioned the administration sharply, asking why such a massive police presence was deployed if the intended action was merely a land demarcation. The bench expressed strong displeasure with the municipal commissioner, noting that an entire month had passed without any effective action being taken on a matter that warranted the commissioner's direct intervention.

The court remarked that criminal activities took place right under the nose of the police, who remained mute spectators, adding that it was entirely unsatisfied with the commissioner's performance.

According to Surat Municipal Corporation officials the reason for suspension is to ensure that the departmental investigation can be conducted in a completely fair, neutral, and unbiased manner.