MCG officials and shopkeepers sustain injuries in scuffle during anti-encroachment drive at Sadar Bazaar

Gurugram: Several police officers and officials of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) were allegedly assaulted by at least 15 shopkeepers during an anti-encroachment drive in Sadar Bazaar on Tuesday evening.

Inspector Ved Pal, station house officer of Gurugram City police station, said, “Investigation is underway in the case. Those involved in the incident will be arrested soon.” Some shopowners have submitted written complaints against the MCG team and police officers, Pal said, adding, “We will get their allegations probed simultaneously.”

Police said the enforcement wing of the MCG along with a police team had reached the spot Thursday evening to remove roadside encroachments inside the market area.

The drive started smoothly but when the team reached a lane beside Kamla Nehru Park, shopowners, especially those who have encroached on public areas, started protesting and entered into a heated argument with officers, police said.

Not only did the shopowners assault the MCG officials and police officers, they also forcibly took away items and stalls that were seized from the road or pavement by the enforcement wing, police said. These items had been loaded into two vehicles brought by the MCG team, police said.

The situation was only brought under control when additional police officers were called to the spot, police said. At least 15 to 20 shopowners and their employees were involved in the incident, police said.

On the complaint of an MCG junior engineer, Tilak Sharma, a First Information Report (FIR) against the suspects was registered under sections 186 (voluntarily obstructing any public servant in the discharge of his public functions), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code at Gurugram City police station on Wednesday, said police.

Sharma said in the FIR that before assaulting the enforcement officials and police officers, the shopowners had also misbehaved with them.

Bablu Gupta, president of Sadar Bazaar Vyapar Mandal, said MCG staff selectively target shops in the name of anti-encroachment drives. “Their lower rank employees or contractual staff forcibly take away items from shops in the MCG’s name but use them personally. Those who bow down are not targeted but those who don’t allow these men to take away items for free become victims in these alleged anti-encroachment drives,” he said.

During Tuesday’s incident, two of his employees were injured after being assaulted by MCG team members, Gupta added. “But I do not know their names or if they have medical reports,” he said. Gupta said a senior MCG official had reached the spot after a heated argument between both sides but instead of understanding the situation and background, he hurled verbal abuses at the shopkeepers.

Vijay Kumar Yadav, MCG joint commissioner-II, said some civic officials sustained injuries in the scuffle. “However, I don’t know their names or exact count. We keep taking up such drives frequently against squatters on the road and pavement, as this blocks traffic,” he said.

Yadav denied that the MCG forcibly takes away items from shops for personal use. “Items are only seized and returned later after a fine is paid,” he said.