LUCKNOW, May 18 -- A demolition drive launched by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) outside the district court in Qaiserbagh on Sunday led to chaotic scenes even as an unverified video clip on social media showed police resorting to a lathi-charge and protesters allegedly pelting officials with stones. Heavy police deployment, including Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel and teams from multiple police stations of Lucknow's Central and West zones, was made around the court premises in Wazirganj during the drive. The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court had recently instructed authorities to remove encroachments from public pathways and government land. Officials said nearly 300 police personnel were deployed in and around the court complex to maintain law and order during the operation, which targeted alleged illegal encroachments around the court area. During the drive, a group of lawyers and local traders staged protests and raised slogans against the demolition action. According to an official police statement, some protesters attempted to obstruct the operation, prompting security personnel to intervene. "Necessary force was used to remove those trying to disrupt the drive so that the operation could continue peacefully," the statement added. Additional municipal commissioner Pankaj Srivastava said the civic body removed around 100 illegal encroachments from the site during the drive. Another senior LMC official said the municipal corporation would soon begin a fresh drive to remove the remaining illegal structures ahead of the next court hearing scheduled for the last week of this month. Advocates alleged that the civic body exceeded the notified scope of demolition and targeted structures beyond the 72 for which notices had earlier been served. While LMC officials maintained they acted against illegal encroachments built on public land and drains, advocates accused the civic body of changing the scope of action without prior information. On May 13, additional municipal commissioner Pankaj Srivastava, while speaking to HT, revealed that notices had already been served on all occupants, directing them to remove their belongings by May 16. The high court had earlier directed the LMC to clear the illegal constructions, but the operation was delayed due to inadequate police deployment. In a letter sent to the district administration on May 4, municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar sought additional police force and administrative support for the proposed drive. Officials had maintained that the encroachments had narrowed internal roads around the district court and created persistent traffic congestion in the busy Qaiserbagh area. However, LMC teams moved beyond Collectorate Road on Sunday and started razing chambers located on the rear side of the district court near the excise office. Advocates alleged that while notices were served for structures along Collectorate Road, no such information had been provided regarding structures located on the other side. "We were informed about action on one stretch, but demolition suddenly began on another side," several advocates at the site alleged. Demolition teams moved towards the rear side of the district court near the excise office route and began removing advocates' chambers allegedly constructed over open drains. Sonu, a street vendor at the spot, said advocates immediately objected and demanded clarification from civic officials regarding the action. Arguments soon erupted between advocates and LMC officials, with protesters questioning why structures beyond the originally marked locations were being targeted....