Now, bulldozers run riot in N Delhi; SC halts drive
Bulldozers roared into the violence-hit north Delhi neighbourhood of Jahangirpuri on Wednesday morning and razed around 50 structures hours before a Supreme Court order finally silenced them, sparking a fierce political war and allegations that the municipal administration was bypassing laws and targeting communities.
The demolition drive was ordered by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (North MCD) in the C-block of Jahangirpur, which was rocked by communal clashes four days ago and left nine people, including eight policemen and a civilian injured, injured. The razing of huts, carts, homes, shops and structures near a local mosque, including its gates and a wall, began at around 10.15am, triggering panic in the area. “We have lost everything. I don’t know how we will survive,” said Malika Bibi, who said she ran a fruit shop for 25 years. At 11am, the apex court ordered status quo (to remain in existing condition) on an urgent plea by a clutch of lawyers, complaining against what they called an “unconstitutional and unauthorised demolition”.
“Okay, we direct status quo. We will list it tomorrow,” said the SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and comprising justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli.
But the bulldozers continued razing structures for the next hour-and-a-half with officials on the ground refusing to stop until a written order was received. At noon, lawyers rushed back to the court, prompting Chief Justice of India NV Ramana to ask the court registry to communicate the order to all officials. Demolitions finally stopped around 12.40pm. Deploy
ment of heavy police and paramilitary forces on the streets of Jahangirpuri continued for the fifth day on Wednesday.
Facing a storm of criticism over its action, NDMC mayor Raja Iqbal Singh said the demolitions were part of a routine drive against illegal encroachments, and had no links with the clashes that broke out on Hanuman Jayanti between Hindu and Muslim groups. “Today’s drive had nothing to do with the letter written by the state BJP president on Tuesday. We are not targeting any particular community. This is a routine exercise which is carried out every month,” Singh said. But his party colleague and BJP Delhi unit chief Adesh Gupta made it clear that the action was targeted at “rioters”.
“The action taken by the municipal corporation is as per the law and not against a particular community. But it is a fact that the area has a large presence of illegal Bangladeshi migrants and Rohingya. The Kejriwal government is providing protection to them. They are getting free ration, water, electricity and other social benefits. As for action against properties of rioters, why shouldn’t action be taken against them?”
Local residents also said that they had received no notice of the encroachment drive, which they alleged hadn’t happened in the area for decades. “Whenever the PWD or MCD officials came, they never destroyed our kiosks. We have never received a notice for a demolition drive...the impact of the bulldozer was such that the floor of my upper floor residence broke. Where will we live now?” said Hussain, one of the residents. Experts pointed out that illegal construction has afflicted the Capital for decades.
The Opposition also targeted the BJP over the demolition, with the Aam Aadmi Party saying the BJP’S headquarters in Delhi should be demolished to stop communal violence, and the Congress terming it a “state-sponsored targeting of poor & minorities”.
“Existence of the BJP has become synonymous with hooliganism and anarchy in India today...the BJP is solely responsible for all the unrest in the country today and the easiest way to get rid of this situation is to run a bulldozer over BJP headquarters,” AAP leader and Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “This is a demolition of India’s constitutional values. This is state-sponsored targeting of poor & minorities. BJP must bulldoze the hatred in their hearts instead”.
CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat, who visited the demolition site and urged the civic staff to stop the demolition instantly in compliance with the Supreme Court order ordering the drive to be halted, said, “The law and the Constitution have been bulldozed by carrying out illegal demolitions. At least the Supreme Court and its order should not be bulldozed,” she added. The dramatic events of Wednesday morning mark the latest in a string of incidents where governments across India have chosen to use bulldozers to raze structures in the aftermath of communal violence, but the first time when the judiciary has stepped in to block the action.
In recent weeks, the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka have all ordered the razing of properties in towns that were roiled by communal violence or criminal activity and have later argued that these were part of drives against illegal construction. In Khargone, for example, where at least 50 people were injured in communal violence on Ram Navami, officials flattened around 54 structures last week with state home minister Narottam Mishra saying the houses of “rioters” will be reduced to rubble. Karnataka home minister Wednesday said that demolitions will happen in the state too against rioters. The states are all ruled by BJP.
Tensions have run high in Jahangirpuri, which houses around 100,000 people, many of whom are Muslims, since violence broke out when a Hanuman Jayanti procession was going through the neighbourhood on April 16. The police have arrested 25 people so far and apprehended two others in this connection. On Tuesday night, a circular by the North MCD requesting police support for the demolition drive went viral, triggering panic in the area. Many residents said the administration gave them no notice and that they had government permission for their shops and homes. “I have a stay order for my jhuggi from the court. I tried to show it to the officials but they didn’t listen,” said a local, Jameela.
NDMC in its official statement released after the drive has stated that no notices are needed for removing temporary encroachments on public land.
“Such encroachment removal drives on public roads are done regularly in all wards and zones by North DMC under sections 321, 322 of the MCD Act, 1957 with
prior intimation to local police,” the NMCD said.
The matter will be taken up by the SC on Wednesday when a bunch of cases challenging the legality of the action will be heard by a bench headed by justice L Nageswara Rao. Other residents said they implored the officials directing the bulldozers to give them a few hours but in vain. Many said their hopes of a better life were crushed by the claws of the machines. The worst hit were the owners of small businesses, many running out of carts and small kiosks. Both Hindu and Muslim owners of businesses were left bemoaning their losses.
Dinesh Kumar, who runs a mobile repair shop whose tin shed was razed, said: “I was born and raised here. I have been running this shop since November last year and mine is the only Hindu-run shop in this street. We have all lived here so peacefully. It’s wrong what’s happening”.