New Delhi: The Supreme Court had to intervene twice on Wednesday to stop an anti-encroachment drive in Jahangirpuri.
Four days after clashes broke out between two communities over a Hanuman Jayanti procession in Jahangirpuri, in north-west Delhi, the BJP-ruled North Municipal Corporation of Delhi (NMCD) had begun demolishing what it called ‘illegal constructions’ this morning.
A petition was filed in Supreme Court by senior advocate Dushyant Dave, seeking direction to stop demolition in Jahangirpuri.
“Completely unauthorized unconstitutional demolition ordered in Jahangirpuri area,” Dave said.
The apex court heard the matter urgently and issued an order staying the demolition drive, and saying that status quo should be maintained till the matter is heard again on Thursday.
However, bulldozers continued to bring down shops and houses, with NMCD officials saying they hadn’t received the Supreme Court order.
Watch the demolition act as tweeted by ANI:
#WATCH | Despite SC order to maintain status-quo on demolition drive, NDMC continues anti-encroachment drive in the Jahangirpuri area of Delhi pic.twitter.com/TW07OM2WFE
— ANI (@ANI) April 20, 2022
CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat rushed to Jahangirpuri to communicate the top court’s order to officials of the civic body, saying that the Supreme Court and its order should not be ‘bulldozed’.
Dave went back to the court, saying that the demolitions were still continuing. CJI NV Ramana then asked the court registry to convey the order to the DCP and police immediately.
Police later confirmed that bulldozing had been stopped in Jahangirpuri.
A senior NMCD official defended the demolition as a routine exercise and that the civic body has conducted 3-4 such drives since January.
Many, however, believe that action was taken as a reaction to communal clashes in the area.
BJP MP G Narasimha Rao added fuel to fire by calling JCB machine, used as bulldozer, a ‘Jihad Control Board’.
“JCB = Jihad Control Board,” the BJP leader wrote on Twitter.
It led to a furore on social media, following which Rao deleted the tweet.
The Opposition has alleged that BJP has been using bulldozers against those accused of crime, particular belonging to one community.
In UP, CM Yogi Adityanath ordered use of bulldozers against rioters, encroachers and illegal properties.
In Madhya Pradesh, another BJP-ruled state, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently deployed bulldozers to punish rioters in Khargone after clashes had broken out during on Ram Navami procession.
