A sprawling three-storey mansion with over 30 rooms was demolished in Bhopal on Thursday. But it’s not the building that’s important, it’s who owned it – the now infamous Machli family, which faces allegations drug trafficking. For weeks, from the state assembly to the streets, the opposition Congress has been trying to corner the BJP after photographs surfaced purportedly showing its leaders with members of the family. The BJP denied any links to the family. Then, on Wednesday, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, ostensibly as damage control, issued an ultimatum: "Whether it is love jihad or the drug mafia, all criminal activities will be dealt with strictly and every criminal will be brought to justice.” On Thursday, municipal authorities and police teams conducted a demolition operation, tearing down a three-story mansion belonging to the family. The demolition began around 11 am at Kokta Hathaikheda area, with teams using six JCB machines and Poclain excavators to bring down the massive structure built on 15,000 square feet. “The illegal property covered 10,000 square feet. Last time we tried to demolish the property, we did not have adequate machinery to pull it off. The building is quite high, and the bulldozer also stopped working,” SDM Vinod Sonkiya said. According to civic officials, the three-storeyed structure was built in 1990. It has over 30 rooms and additional amenities, including a garage, a park, and a swing house. The authorities claim this property was built on government land. Advocate Gopesh Shikkewal, the family’s lawyer, alleged that the demolition was in contempt of court. "According to the law, 15 days’ notice should have been given, but they came here and quietly left the notice. Our documents were not received, no discussion was held, and today false proceedings are taking place. Guidelines have not been followed, and we will be moving the high court to pursue contempt proceedings. The reality is they come from a minority family and some people want to do this," he claimed. The demolition follows the arrest of family members Shahwar Machli and his nephew Yasin on allegations of drug trafficking in July. The duo was apprehended by the Crime Branch, which allegedly recovered three grams of MDMA and a country-made pistol during searches. As the investigation proceeded, photographs purportedly showing them with senior BJP leaders surfaced. Investigators claim the family is linked to drug trafficking in pubs and lounges in Bhopal. Following their arrest, Shariq Machli, Shahwar's uncle, was also taken into custody. Rise and fall The family’s fortunes began with a legitimate fishing cooperative in 1983, with government contracts helping it scale up, police said. Said a senior police officer, “In November 1983, they established the 'Machli Palan Sahakari Sanstha Maryaadita, Islamnagar', a cooperative society that would serve as their legitimate front for the next four decades.” Investigators say that the family secured exclusive fishing rights to Bhopal’s Hathaikheda Dam, generating approximately Rs 4 crore annually. The first complaint against the family was made to the District Collector in 2019. The complainant, Pramod Lodhi, a local, allegedly obtained audit reports and committee meeting information to make allegations of irregularities in the appointment of committee members. The District Collector investigated the matter and on January 5, 2023, the district administration found that "the institution was being run by a single person instead of the committee." “It was proved that the organisation was being run illegally by a single person,” the Collector’s order read. Local District Panchayat member also Rashmi Avnish Bhargava tried to get their local contracts cancelled, alleging irregularities. "The cancellation of the Hathaikheda pond contract in the Agriculture Standing Committee was raised in the meeting. Even after this, the contract has not been cancelled yet,” Bhargava said. Local authorities allege that the family "occupied about 300 acres of land illegally in Hathaikheda and nearby areas". More than five illegal properties were demolished over the past few weeks by the civic officials. Another complainant, Rajesh Tiwari, a former railway employee, told the police that he was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint in October 2021, held hostage for 16 hours at a farmhouse in Hathaikheda, beaten, and released only after being forced to transfer Rs 50,000. Tiwari, in his complaint against Shariq, alleged the incident stemmed from his refusal to display posters or banners of Shariq and his political ally during a community Ganesh idol display.
