As a file of nine bulldozers and hundreds of policemen and officials made their way to violence-hit Jahangirpuri on Wednesday morning uprooting shops and kiosks, chaos broke out and the Supreme Court intervened twice in a span of a couple of hours to finally stop the North Delhi Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) controversial “anti-encroachment drive”.
By then the NMC’s action had created national headlines and triggered an all-out war between the BJP and Opposition parties.
The word about the impending anti-encroachment drive had been doing the rounds on Tuesday night itself. The build-up started around 7.30 am on Wednesday with the deployment of hundreds of Delhi Police, CRPF and RAF personnel in the area to maintain law and order.
A flag march by the police took place around 8.30 am. Around 10 am, the bulldozers made their way to the place of action in the presence of NMC Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh.
Singh said an anti-encroachment drive will take place across the national Capital. “We had requested security for the drive earlier also but due to some reasons the action was not taken,” he said.
At 10.30 am the bulldozers started to raze the encroached areas. Soon came the Supreme Court order to stay the drive. But the drive didn’t stop with the NMC officials saying they did not get an official copy of the SC order.
“The anti-encroachment drive will be stopped as soon as we receive the Supreme Court order,” the NMC mayor said.
From 11.30 am to 12.30 pm, the anti-encroachment drive continued with police personnel guarding from rooftops and a drone keeping a hawk eye.
This prompted senior advocate Dushyant Dave to again approach the SC to bring to its notice that an official communication through the apex court secretary-general to the police commissioner and the mayor and the NDMC commissioner be made.
This was subsequently done by the SC.
The demolitions stopped thereafter. But by then the officials of the NMC had already removed the around 20 temporary kiosks on the pavement, ramps, and the wall outside the mosque, etc.
"About two kilometers of the road near Kushal cinema were cleared from encroachment, 25 items were seized and 20 tonnes of garbage were lifted. The encroachment was removed by the licensing department, engineering department, enforcement cell, and the health department of Civil Lines as a joint team," said an NMC official.
Around 12:30 P.M., the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat reached Jahangirpuri with a copy of the SC order and said that the law and the constitution have been bulldozed by illegal demolitions. At least the SC and its order should not be bulldozed.
"At 10:45 am, the SC gave the order to maintain the status quo on the demolition drive, I have come here for the implementation of the order," she added, standing defiantly before a bulldozer.
Locals alleged the NMC defied the Supreme Court order but the municipal body's chief later said s that only temporary structures were removed and no permanent building was harmed. "The roads will be cleared and people are happy. It is routine work with no agenda. People are very happy, people are supporting us," he said.
He said that wherever there is any illegal encroachment, please remove them yourself.
The officials of NMC removed temporary kiosks on the pavement, and ramps with the help of seven JCBs and bulldozers. During the encroachment removal drive, eight trucks and four mini Tata Ace were deployed along with a manpower of 70-80 and officials of NMC and a sufficient police force.
Following the demolition of encroached structures which included the extended wall and gate of the mosque, some of the locals gathered near a temple, just a few meters away, demanding the demolition of its encroached area. However, the police disbursed the crowd and detained a few for obstructing the work.
All eyes are now on the Supreme Court's action on Thursday when it will take up the petitions related to the demolition