Ballia (UP): Surendra Singh, a BJP leader from Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh, has launched an indefinite sit-in protest against the local municipal corporation for demolishing the party’s camp office. The office, located at Indira Market in the Chittu Pandey area, was demolished during an anti-encroachment drive carried out by a joint team of the Ballia Municipal Corporation, district administration, and police on Tuesday.
Singh, the district vice president of the BJP, condemned the demolition, stating that the office had been operating for over 40 years and was demolished without any prior warning or discussion. Chanting slogans of “Down with the district administration,” he raised banners at the protest site, one of which read, “Mass protest against the unjust and arbitrary action by the district administration.”
In an interview with the media, Singh emphasized, “They (municipal corporation) should have consulted me before demolishing it. They are government employees, and I am a government party official. The government is mine; they should have sat down and discussed it with me.”
Singh further accused the district administration of acting under the influence of the Samajwadi Party (SP), claiming that administrative officials were behaving as agents of the SP and engaging in harassment and extortion under the guise of the anti-encroachment drive.
On Wednesday, Singh submitted a petition to the District Magistrate’s office, formally notifying them about his indefinite protest. The BJP camp office, which had a board reading “Camp Office, BJP, Ballia,” was marked for demolition during the operation.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Rajesh Kumar confirmed the action, stating, “The encroachment was removed as part of a routine exercise.”
