Ahmedabad, April 21 : Administrative action intensified in Dhandhuka town of Ahmedabad district on Tuesday as authorities launched a demolition drive against illegal structures and disconnected electricity supply to two accused historysheeters, days after a fatal stabbing triggered violence and unrest in the area.

Bulldozers were deployed to clear encroachments across key stretches, while the power company disconnected electricity to the residences of Shabbir Chopda, an accused in the Kishan Bharwad murder case in 2022, and Imtiyaz Pathan.

Officials said the process to register cases under Section 135 of the Electricity Act, 2003, has been initiated, with further legal action underway.

Ahmedabad Rural DySP Aastha Rana told IANS, â??The demolition drive is currently underway in the area, and sufficient police personnel have been deployed to assist the process. As of now, the only action taken against the two accused is that their electricity supply has been cut. However, this is not going to be the only action in the long run. We will verify everything.â??

A large police contingent was deployed as teams from the Roads and Buildings (R&B) department, revenue authorities, police, municipality, city survey department, UGVCL, and fire and medical services carried out the operation.

The heavy security presence led to parts of the town resembling a police-controlled zone. Encroachments are being removed along the stretch from the railway station to the Ranpur crossroads, where around 14 roadside shop sheds have been identified.

In the Khatkiwad area, five residential properties are also being cleared. Notices had earlier been issued to multiple units, including around 12 along the Fedaraâ??Dhandhuka highway.

Dhandhuka Municipality Chief Officer Raju Sheikh told IANS, â??At present, the demolition drive is targeting around 15 to 20 illegal structures. The structures linked to the two accused are not being razed in this drive; the action is focused on properties associated with history sheeters.â??

The administrative measures follow the recent killing of Dharmesh Gamara, who was fatally stabbed after a dispute reportedly triggered by a minor road incident involving motorcycles, which escalated into a confrontation in a residential area.

The incident invoked widespread unrest, including arson and vandalism, with several shops set ablaze and properties damaged in Dhandhuka.

Police said two accused, Samir and Rizwan, were arrested in connection with the murder, while at least 20 people were detained for their alleged role in the violence.

Two FIRs have been registered: one for murder and related offences, and another against more than 120 individuals for rioting, unlawful assembly and damage to property.

Investigators have since reconstructed the crime scene to establish the sequence of events, taking the accused to multiple locations, including the site of the stabbing.

Authorities have also formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe both the murder and the subsequent unrest, and said the situation in the town is now under control, with normalcy gradually returning.

/IANS