The railways defended its right to remove squatters from its own land and said the law does not bar them from doing so.

A top official spoke to Metro on condition of anonymity, a day after earthmovers smashed over 30 stalls from a patch of railway land outside Jadavpur station.

“We wouldn’t conduct an eviction drive without proper homework,” he said.

The official added that the traders’ demand for rehabilitation was something “the state government has to address”. “The railways are not the authority to provide rehabilitation,” the official said.

The stalls were torn down past midnight on Sunday. A large contingent of police, central forces and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel cordoned the area as the demolition drive progressed.

Protesters were baton-charged.

“We have not done anything outside the purview of the law. The Railways Act (1989) empowers railway authorities to reclaim railway land from illegal occupants,” said the official.

“As per the Railways Act, we are empowered to evict encroachers. The issue of rehabilitation rests with the state government, as per my knowledge. We do not have any agreement with any of the encroachers. I don’t know of any court order that bars railways from taking control of railway land from illegal occupants. Let the case come up for hearing. Our lawyer will make the necessary submissions in the court,” the official said.

Traders whose shops were demolished during the eviction drive moved Calcutta High Court on Monday, challenging the railways’ action. Around 40 businesses operated from the site, with some stalls being shared by more than one trader.

The affected stretch housed a mix of businesses, including construction material suppliers, food stalls and a hardware store, among others.

The petition is likely to come up for hearing on Wednesday, according to a lawyer who is part of the legal team representing the evicted traders.

Protesters who tried to create a line of resistance with the affected traders were lathi-charged to clear the way. Many protestors were injured. Five people were arrested. All of them obtained bail on Monday.

The petition argues that the eviction was “unlawful” and violated a Calcutta High Court order that had stayed such action without providing alternative space. The petition cites a 1988 high court order that prohibited the eviction of traders from railway land without providing rehabilitation in a designated commercial area.

The railways had been attempting to clear the encroached land since early June. During a previous visit, railway officials had assured traders that they would be given three weeks to vacate the area, the traders alleged. They claimed the assurance was not honoured, with the demolition carried out less than a week later.

Many shop owners were worried about the fate of the wares they failed to retrieve before the demolition.

Steel barricades were erected along the edge of the plot on Sunday evening, effectively preventing vehicles from entering or leaving the area.

“If vehicles cannot move in or out, we have no way of removing our stock. We can only hope the railways will at least allow us to take away our belongings,” a trader said on Tuesday.