Overview
- District officials supervised the demolition on Thursday, July 2, with a large deployment of police and Central Armed Police Forces to secure the site.
- The café, named Aranayer/Aranyer Kule, is reported to have been run by Imran Molla, the son of former TMC MLA Saokat Molla, and was alleged to be built on a char (river sandbank) of the Matla River.
- Authorities say they acted after complaints and an official inquiry determined the construction was on government land and after a notice gave the owners until June 29 to remove the structure.
- The demolition took place while Saokat Molla was in police custody in an unrelated rape investigation, there was no immediate comment from his family or lawyers, and BJP figures publicly flagged the action.
- Chars are commonly government land and often face encroachment disputes, officials say further measures will follow legal findings and the case could increase scrutiny of illegal riverside structures under the new district administration.