Slum demolition, housing rights, and rehabilitation: The Nasirnagar settlement conflict in Surat

At the heart of the conflict are around 250 families who have lived in Nasirnagar for more than three decades on allegedly privately-owned land. Residents argue that their long occupation of the area, coupled with property tax payments, electricity connections and municipal water supply, entitled them to procedural safeguards before any eviction could be undertaken.

The demolition was carried out between May 28 and May 30, 2026, in the Ved Darwaja/Katargam area of Surat. Residents alleged that bulldozers razed their homes without prior notice or any official demolition order, and that the operation was carried out under police protection .

The controversy deepened due to contradictory claims by public authorities. While Surat Municipal Commissioner M Nagarajan initially denied that the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) had carried out the demolition , stating that civic officials were present only to demarcate a proposed road, police officials said security personnel had been deployed following a request from the civic body. Days later, a senior SMC engineer publicly acknowledged that the demolition was conducted by municipal staff and described it as a legal action undertaken under established rules and regulations. The conflicting accounts fuelled demands for an independent inquiry into the operation.