UP's demolition drive takes a turn as bulldozer reaches a police station

In a surprising turn of events, a bulldozer arrived at the Kotwali police station in Uttar Pradesh's Siddharthanagar district on Sunday, leaving both police officers and onlookers stunned as it began demolishing part of the station's boundary wall and gate, TOI reported.

The police station was one of 55 illegal structures slated for demolition as part of an ongoing effort by the local administration to reclaim government land for the expansion of Khajuria Road, which had been significantly narrowed by encroachments.

The irony of the situation was palpable as the police, who had been assisting in the demolition drive, found their own station among the targets.


The operation was led by additional district magistrate Umashankar Singh and subdivisional magistrate Lalit Kumar, who were met with resistance from station house officer Santosh Tiwari.

Tiwari demanded to know how the police station could be demolished without a written order. In response, ADM Singh asserted that no exceptions would be made for illegal structures, even if they belonged to the police.

As tensions escalated, a circle officer was called to the scene, and the confrontation between the police and the administration continued, as per TOI report.

To further demonstrate the administration's commitment to fairness, the bulldozer was directed to demolish a 100-meter span of the tehsil office’s southern boundary wall across the street, drawing cheers from the gathered crowd.

The demolition of the police station's wall was eventually halted after a call from district police chief Prachi Singh, but not before part of the local Panchayat Bhawan was also razed.

District magistrate Raja Ganapathy R explained that the administration had been working to clear Khajuria Road of encroachments since 2017. The road, originally 6 meters wide, has now been expanded to 13 meters following the demolitions, he said.

(With TOI inputs)