Minority rights group seeks SIT probe into demolition of 106 houses in Surat

By A Representative 

The Minority Coordination Committee Gujarat has urged the Gujarat government to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the demolition of 106 houses in Nasir Nagar, Surat, alleging serious violations of due process and raising questions about administrative accountability.

In a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister of Gujarat, the committee stated that officials accompanied by a police contingent arrived at Nasir Nagar, near Jilani Bridge in the Ved Darwaja area of Surat, on May 30, 2026, with JCB machines and bulldozers and ordered residents to vacate their homes immediately. According to the memorandum, residents were not given adequate time to remove their belongings before demolition operations commenced.

The committee alleged that 106 houses were demolished over three consecutive days, from May 30 to June 1. It further claimed that when affected residents later approached officials of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), they were informed that the demolition had not been carried out by the civic body.

Describing the development as a matter of grave concern, Minority Coordination Committee Gujarat Convenor Mujahid Nafees said, "If the Surat Municipal Corporation itself states that it did not carry out the demolition, then it is essential to determine who authorized and executed the demolition of 106 homes while accompanied by a police force. This raises serious questions about the rule of law, administrative accountability, and the protection of citizens' constitutional rights."

Nafees called for an independent and time-bound investigation. "We have requested the government to constitute an SIT that can conduct a fair, impartial and comprehensive inquiry, identify all those responsible, and submit its findings within one month," he said.

The memorandum also demands the suspension of the Additional Municipal Commissioner of the Katargam Zone and other concerned officials pending the investigation, registration of an FIR against those found responsible, and recovery from them of the costs required to rebuild the demolished houses.

In addition, the committee has sought immediate relief measures for affected families, including temporary shelter, food, drinking water, healthcare, and other essential services until the inquiry is completed.

"We have also sought an inquiry into the authority under which the police contingent participated in the demolition operation and asked that responsibility be fixed accordingly," Nafees said. "The affected families deserve justice, rehabilitation, and a transparent investigation conducted in accordance with the Constitution and the rule of law."

Copies of the memorandum have been forwarded to the Chief Secretary of Gujarat, the Director General of Police, the Surat District Collector, and the Surat Police Commissioner for necessary action.