Screengrab of video showing Ananya Yadav
Credit: X/@tanmoyofc
Ambedkar Nagar: Eight-year-old Ananya, who caught the attention of the Supreme Court for holding her books close to her chest as she ran from a bulldozer tearing down her home, dreams of become an IAS officer.
While a Supreme Court bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan hearing a case related to illegal demolitions in Prayagraj on Tuesday took note of a touching incident, Ananya shared her aspirations with reporters of becoming an IAS officer and the reason she rushed into her house amid the demolition.
A viral video of the moment capturing the chaos and helplessness of the child has deeply moved the nation and even caught the attention of the Supreme Court.
The SC bench heeded the video from Arai village in Ambedkar Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh.
Expressing concern, Justice Bhuyan observed, "There is a recent video in which small huts are being demolished by bulldozers. There is a small girl running away from the demolished hut with a clutch of books in her hand. It has shocked everybody." Calling the demolition of residential homes in Prayagraj "inhuman and illegal", the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the city development authority to pay Rs 10 lakh compensation to each aggrieved house owner within six weeks.
"The manner in which the demolition has taken place shocks our conscience. Residences of the appellants have been high-handedly demolished. There is something called right to shelter, due process of law," said the bench.
It said the "high-handed" manner of the demolitions showed insensitivity on the part of authority while underlining the "rule of the law in the country".
Residential structures of citizens cannot be demolished in such a fashion, it added.
The apex court said the Prayagraj Development Authority must remember right to shelter is an integral part of Article 21 and there is a rule of law that is a basic part of the Constitution.
Ananya told reporters, "There was a fire near our home and the bulldozer was coming close. So, I ran inside to get my books and notebooks," she said, gesturing with her hands to show how close the bulldozer had come.
The eight-year-old girl's family is still struggling to understand why their house was demolished. Her grandfather and head of the family, Ram Milan Yadav, expressed his confusion and pain.
"We don't know why our hut was removed. There were even allegations that our children used to hurl abuses at an IAS officer whose house is in front of ours. That is completely false," he said.
Refuting the claims, he added, "Forget about abusing anyone, we always folded our hands in respect before them. We even celebrated when that officer was appointed.
"We made garlands and congratulated their family. What's in their heart, we don't know," he said.
However, officials maintain that due process was followed. Pawan Jaiswal, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Jalalpur tehsil, on Wednesday said Yadav was served a notice two months ago to vacate the encroached land.
"When the administrative team arrived to clear the encroachment, the family started protesting. We do not know how one of the thatched structures caught fire but it was brought under control.
"Later, one of the structures was demolished. They were all non-residential," Jaiswal said.
Regarding the viral video, he clarified, "The structure where the girl ran from with books was not even touched. It was at a distance from the structure that caught fire." Authorities have initiated action over the controversy surrounding the video.
Circle Officer Anup Kumar Singh told reporters recently that a complaint had been lodged by a local revenue officer against the alleged spread of misinformation and AI-generated images related to the incident.
"An FIR has been registered at Jalalpur police station based on this complaint. The station-in-charge is investigating the matter and further action will be taken based on the facts that emerge," said Singh.
Jaiswal also confirmed that an FIR had been lodged against "fake" videos linking the girl to the demolition.