Civic authorities on Friday cancelled a demolition drive scheduled to take place in North-West Delhi’s Mangolpuri area due to the unavailability of police force, PTI reported.

“The anti-encroachment drive was scheduled in surrounding areas of Katran Market in Mangolpuri on Friday but it was cancelled due to unavailability of an adequate police force,” an unidentified official told PTI.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-run civic body has also cancelled demolition drives in Sultanpuri’s fish market and Jagdamba Market on Wednesday and Thursday citing inadequate police force, PTI reported.

The three civic bodies in Delhi, ruled by the BJP, have carried out anti-encroachment drives in several parts of the city since last month. Political parties and activists have accused the BJP of targeting Muslim-dominated areas during the demolition drives.

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Kuldeep Kumar was detained on Wednesday for protesting against a demolition drive in Delhi’s Kalyanpuri area, whereas Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan was arrested on May 12 for protesting against the drive in the city’s Madanpur Khadar area.

On May 8, a first information report was filed against Khan was allegedly obstructing the demolition drive in Shaheen Bagh.

The civic body has so far razed structures in several parts of the city, including Jahangirpuri, Tughlakabad, Mangolpuri, New Friends Colony, Najafgarh, West Zone, Janakpuri and Chaukhandi.

The Jahangirpuri demolitions were carried out on April 20, just four days after the locality was hit by communal violence. The drive had continued for a few hours despite a stay order from the Supreme Court. Almost all the structures targeted were owned by Muslims.