BJP youth worker gets away with just ₹50k fine for illegally demolishing public toilet in Shastrinagar

A public toilet built by the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) near Sardar Patel Nagar in Shastrinagar was demolished late Thursday night, allegedly by Poojan Parekh, a local shop owner and BJP Yuva Morcha (BJYM) worker. The AMC imposed a fine of ₹50,000, drawing criticism for leniency in the face of what is considered unauthorised demolition of public property.

Toilet razed ahead of rathyatra

The toilet, located in front of Parekh’s shop 'Shreeji Chaiwala', was reportedly brought down using a JCB machine. The act was carried out without permission from civic authorities, a day before the city’s rathyatra procession. According to sources, the toilet was demolished under the pretext of shop renovation, sparking local outrage.

Officials backed off after pressure from BJP leaders

On Monday, AMC’s Solid Waste Management team arrived at the premises to seal the shop and impose a penalty of up to ₹1 lakh. However, they left without taking action, reportedly after intervention by senior BJP leaders. Typically, the department seals shops and levies high penalties for lesser violations such as street littering.

Shop owner agrees to rebuild facility

Rajan Parmar, Deputy Director of Solid Waste (West Zone), said the shop owner gave a written assurance to reconstruct the demolished toilet at his own cost. He also stated that the location was not suitable for sealing.

Calls for stricter civic action

The incident has raised questions over equal enforcement of rules. Residents and civic observers have pointed out that similar or smaller infractions often result in heavy fines and swift action, while this case saw a relatively mild response despite the destruction of public infrastructure.