Amid heavy police presence and rising political tensions, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) carried out a large-scale demolition drive at the Bhoomiheen Camp in southeast Delhi’s Govindpuri on Wednesday morning.
Bulldozers rolled into the area around 5 am, reducing around 344 jhuggis to rubble and sparking anger among local residents and opposition leaders alike.
The action came just days after the DDA issued eviction notices, warning alleged encroachers to vacate the premises within three days or face consequences.
DDA claimed the land was government property and the structures had been built illegally. “We have deployed adequate police force, along with paramilitary personnel, to carry out the demolition peacefully. No one will be allowed to breach law and order,” a senior official said.
Despite the heavy security, chaos prevailed as residents scrambled to save their belongings and protested the sudden eviction.
The DDA, in its statement, outlined the legal and procedural history behind the eviction. It stated that 1,862 eligible households from Bhoomiheen Camp had been relocated to Economically Weaker Section (EWS) flats at Pocket A-14 in Kalkaji Extension under the In Situ Slum Rehabilitation Project. These relocations were carried out in 2023, based on the DUSIB’s 2015 policy.
Additionally, 34 families whose appeals were upheld by an Appellate Authority — headed by a retired District and Sessions Judge — were also granted alternative accommodation.
A demolition had earlier taken place in June 2023, after which ineligible residents filed 55 writ petitions representing 435 individuals in the Delhi High Court. The court granted an interim stay but recently dismissed all cases except one, in which it ordered a re-examination of 26 cases and alternative allotment in one.
The DDA said it had already complied in the latter case and was in the process of re-evaluating the rest.
Of the 344 jhuggis still present, officials said only 30–40 remained occupied and confirmed that no legal stay was currently in effect against the demolition.
The DDA also stressed the urgency of clearing the area, as the five-acre land parcel is part of a planned in-situ rehabilitation project meant to benefit around 4,500 jhuggi dwellers from Navjeevan Camp and Jawahar Camp.
Work on that project has been stalled for over two years due to encroachments, despite eligible residents having been given alternative housing.
The demolition drive, however, quickly snowballed into a political row, with senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi slamming Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta over what she called a betrayal of her public assurance.
“Rekha Gupta, you said three days ago that not even a single slum would be demolished. Then why are bulldozers tearing down people’s homes today?” Atishi posted on X.
The AAP alleged that Atishi, who visited the site on Tuesday, was detained by the police, a claim that was denied by officials. In response, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta maintained that the government could not defy judicial orders.
“We are complying with court directions. The displaced families have been given alternative accommodation. No one eligible is being left homeless,” she said, echoing the DDA’s clarification issued later in the day.