Xinzheng authorities under fire for harsh demolition

Local authorities in Xinzheng, Central China's Henan province, confirmed on Monday a previous demolition that has sparked another round of public criticism against forced demolitions during the construction of public infrastructure, as it allegedly involved violence.

According to the local city committee of the Communist Party of China, the demolished house was part of the region of land expropriated for line 2 of the Zhengzhou subway, and needed to be relocated.

Zhang Hongwei, the owner of the house, did not cooperate during the relocation and demanded an inappropriate price for the relocation compensation after a number of rounds of negotiation, the city committee said.

The committee added that Zhang's behavior then led to more than 20 days of postponed construction of the subway line.

Meanwhile, it also vowed to punish any illegal behavior or disciplinary violations in the demolition process, the People's Daily reported on Monday.

The demolition happened around midnight Friday night when Zhang's house was allegedly broken into by a dozen people, who dragged the couple into an unlicensed van by force. The scantily-dressed couple was later dumped at a deserted graveyard.

After they finally made their way home four hours later, the house had been already torn down and all his property had been buried under brick debris, China National Radio reported.

Public concern was aroused after photos depicting Zhang and his family weeping over the debris of their house went viral online early Monday. Some Net users blamed the couple for disobeying the rules, while most people criticized the local government for their brutal actions.