The drive occurred as the area in northwest New Delhi was swarmed by paramilitary forces in riot gear and comes after the city's BJP chief Adesh Gupta urged the municipal corporation to "take action on the illegal construction and encroachment of the rioters," he said in a tweet on Wednesday.
"I congratulate the corporation for taking quick action on it," he said.
While authorities have termed it a "routine exercise," the call from Gupta and the timing of the move — four days after the violence in the neighbourhood erupted — have raised questions.
A similar demolition drive was seen last week in central Madhya Pradesh state's Khargone city after a Hindu procession on April 10 to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Ram erupted in violence, with Hindu mobs brandishing swords and sticks as they marched past Muslim neighborhoods and mosques.
Soon, groups from both communities began pelting stones at each other, according to police.
A day later, bulldozers razed down about 45 buildings, including homes and shops, in five parts of Khargone city. Many of them, though not all, belonged to the Muslim population, reported local media.
"The buildings demolished were illegal structures set up on encroached land belonging to people from both communities," P Anugraha, district collector in the city, told The Indian Express last week.
