Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have demolished the home of Umar Nabi, the man believed to have been driving the car that exploded in Delhi on November 10, in the Pulwama district, NDTV reported.
The demolition was carried out during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, The Economic Times quoted unidentified officials as saying.
On Monday evening, a Hyundai i20 car exploded near the Red Fort metro station in Delhi, leaving 13 persons dead. The Union government has described the blast as a terrorist incident, and the police have filed a case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Explosives Act.
Several reports have alleged that Nabi was in the car that exploded. Reports have also claimed that he was a key figure in a terror network spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
There are no provisions in Indian law that allow for the demolition of property as a punitive measure. However, the practice has become commonplace in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states.
The National Conference is in power in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the lieutenant governor, who functions under the Union government, is in charge of law and order.
In November, the Supreme Court held as illegal the practice of demolishing properties of persons accused of crimes as a punitive measure.
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