A demolition drive carried out by the Northern Railway to clear a slum cluster in Shakur Basti on a cold night on Saturday, leading to the death of a six-month-old baby, has triggered angry protests from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who took Northern Railway General Manager AK Puthia to task and blamed him for the death and wanted a murder case to be registered against him. Puthia rushed to Kejriwal’s residence on late Sunday evening and made an abortive bid to pacify him.
The CM on Sunday ordered a magisterial probe into the inhuman demolition drive by Northern Railway. What has caused consternation across the political spectrum is the ruthlessness displayed by Railway officials led by Puthia during the eviction drive.
Talking to reporters, Kejriwal said, “A child has died here. It is a very sad thing and I think that a murder case should be registered against the officers. Compensation will be taken from them. It should be deducted from the salaries of the officers who have conducted these raids.”
Kejriwal, who visited the site on Saturday night, slammed the Railways for undertaking the demolition drive in winter. He ordered officials to immediately provide blankets and food to those who were rendered homeless following the drive. The CM said that he had spoken to Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, who was not “aware of this operation. He was also shocked.”
The CM also suspended two Sub-Divisional Magistrates and another senior official for “failing to arrange” food and shelter for those evicted.
A senior Railway Board official said, “AK Puthia should have informed the Board.
His brazen act has affected Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu’s generous approach to the common man.”
In the demolition carried out in the light of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order, 1,200 slum units were removed. The Northern Railway insisted that the action was necessary to clear the “encroachments” for expanding the infrastructure. It said the demolition was carried out after three notices, the first one with a March 14, 2015 deadline.
A six-month-old baby died in one of the slum units, which the Railways insisted occurred two hours before the demolition started at 12 pm.
Police said prima facie the baby died after a heap of clothes fell on him while his parents were preparing to move out of the jhuggi.
As the controversy broke out, Delhi Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Arun Arora told a Press conference here that the child’s death has no connection with the removal of encroachments which had become a “risk” for train operations as the slums were within the 15-metre safety zone.
He said the National Green Tribunal had also ordered that the tracks should be cleared of solid waste and to ensure this the railways had to “remove the source”. Arora said the slum dwellers were given first notice for vacating the land by March 14, 2015.
However, the demolition could not be undertaken then because police could not provide assistance then, he added. Subsequently, two more notices were given to them -- one with the deadline of September 30, 2015 and the last one with the deadline of December 12, 2015, he added.
Talking to reporters, Kejriwal said, “A child has died here. It is a very sad thing and I think that a murder case should be registered against the officers. Compensation will be taken from them. It should be deducted from the salaries of the officers who have conducted these raids.”
Earlier, in a series of tweets, Kejriwal said, “Railways has demolished 500 shanties in this extreme cold. One child has died. God will never forgive them. Had instructed the local SDM to arrange for food and shelter. They did not arrange the same, so have suspended them.”
He said “our Divisional Commisioner” told the SDMs and another official to arrange for the accommodation and food for those evicted. “After coming here, we found that there is no arrangement for either. The DM comes under us, so we are suspending the DM right away,” he said.
With regard to the child’s death, the Railways said it occurred at around 10 am, two hours before the demolition drive began.
“It had nothing to do with removal of encroachments which started at around 1200 hours,” said a statement issued by the Railways. “....The encroachment removal was started at 11.50 am under police protection and completed by evening,” it added.
Arora, when asked whether the drive will stop because of the child’s death, replied in the negative.
Joint Commissioner of Police (south west) Dependra Pathak said, “When family members were arranging clothes, a heap of garments fell over the child. The child could not remove the pile and got smothered under it. No case has been registered as of now.”
Delhi’s ruling party AAP also questioned the timing of its demolition drive which rendered “several homeless on a cold day”.
Terming the drive as “sudden” action, it said earlier too similar activities were planned by Railways, but could not materialise following “intervention” by Kejriwal and the State Government.
Days before a the anti-encroachment drive by Railways, Kejriwal had written to the Railway Minister urging him to look into the issue of rehabilitation of JJ dwellers staying along the rail track on “priority” basis.
In his letter to Prabhu dated December 1, Kejriwal assured that the Delhi Government will extend “full” co-operation for providing flats constructed under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for relocation of JJ dwellers.