Protesters halt SDMC demolition drive in Capital, say no violations

NEW DELHI: For three hours on Monday, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) officials struggled to carry out a scheduled demolition drive against alleged illegal encroachments in the southeast Delhi’s Saheen Bagh area, only to return without dislodging a single structure in the face of stiff resistance by local residents and politicians who gathered on the main Shaheen Bagh road and did not allow the civic body vehicles to move.

SDMC officials reached the Shaheen Bagh police station at 10am to seek police backup. The Delhi Police had turned down earlier requests by the civic body, pointing out apprehension of law and order problems in the area. However, on Monday, the police allowed action, and a police team of 200 personnel and a company of central armed police force was gathered to accompany the civic officials.

Around 10.40am, local residents spotted a bulldozer and two trucks parked on the main Shaheen Bagh road. Within five minutes, people started gathering there, a crowd that swelled to at least a thousand by afternoon.

An hour later, around 11.30am, when the corporation vehicles and the team of officials started moving towards the market, a huge crowd had gathered on the road. The local residents who alleged ‘selective action’ by the BJP-ruled corporation, sat around the bulldozer even as the police officials formed a security cordon around the officials and the vehicles.

Soon local MLA Amanatullah Khan and several other politicians reached the site with their supporters. By this time, the entire road had been taken by the crowd, completely cutting the movement of vehicles. Khan argued that there were no encroachments on the road and people had voluntarily removed goods placed in front of their shops a few days ago after he appealed to them. “I want to ask MCD to show me encroachment on this road? I am the area MLA, and this is a PWD road. When people have already removed encroachments, why are they vitiating the atmosphere? I will get encroachments removed voluntarily if they ask me. A temporary structure in front of a local mosque was removed voluntarily without any problem,” he added.

AIMIM Delhi unit chief Kalimullah Hafiz said the MCD was “taking orders from the BJP chief” rather than following its constitutional functions.

A senior police officer said seven people protesting against the drive were detained.