The Supreme Court today halted an anti-encroachment drive in Delhi's Jahangirpuri, where a communal clash broke out during a Hanuman Jayanti procession on Saturday. Nine bulldozers had rolled into the area and started razing structures as per the orders of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, which is controlled by the BJP, before the court order came in. There is heavy police deployment in the area to prevent any law and order situation.
Here are the Live Updates on Demolition Drive In Delhi's Jahangirpuri
Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party today accused the BJP of being responsible for the encroachments that were demolished in northwest Delhi's Jahangirpuri -- an area that has been under considerable tension since Saturday's violence during a Hanuman Jayanti rally.
Top Delhi BJP leaders met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the Union Home Ministry headquarters in Delhi today, hours after a controversial demolition drive in violence-hit Jahangirpuri that was halted by the Supreme Court.
Shortly after the Supreme Court ordered demolitions paused at Delhi's Jahangirpuri, bulldozers kept advancing, tearing down kiosks and shops and even structures outside a mosque. "The work will continue as the order has not reached us," said the BJP-controlled Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) firmly.
"We want to tell the people of the whole of Delhi, wherever there is any illegal encroachment, please remove them yourself. Iske baad unhi logon ka number hai (it will be their turn next) After this, it is their turn," Mr Singh told NDTV, when asked whether action would also be taken against encroachments in other parts of Delhi.
Opposition leaders have slammed the BJP following an anti-encroachment drive in Delhi's Jahangirpuri which saw communal clashes last week. While Congress MP Rahul Gandhi called it the "demolition of India's constitutional values" and "state-sponsored targeting of poor & minorities", Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha directly accused Home Minister Amit Shah of orchestrating communal riots and asked for his home to be demolished.
"The BJP has ruled over the municipal bodies for 15 years where their leaders took bribes and allowed illegal construction. Today when they have gone to demolish these illegal constructions, the houses of those BJP leaders who took bribes to allow them should also be demolished," Mr Chadha added.
This is a demolition of India's constitutional values.
- Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 20, 2022
This is state-sponsored targeting of poor & minorities.
BJP must bulldoze the hatred in their hearts instead. pic.twitter.com/ucSJK9OD9g
Atishi, AAP leader: "Riots are happening across the country...BJP is getting these riots done. We guarantee, bulldoze the BJP headquarters, riots across the country will stop."
देश भर में दंगे हो रहे हैं।जगह जगह गुंडई और लफ़ंगई हो रही है।ये सभी दंगे भाजपा करवा रही है। हम गारंटी देते हैं, भाजपा HQ पे बुलडोज़र चला दो, पूरे देश के दंगे रुक जाएँगे।#BulldozeBJPHQ pic.twitter.com/ephwdGsOvY
- Atishi (@AtishiAAP) April 20, 2022
The anti-encroachment exercise was ordered after Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta wrote to the mayor, asking him to identify illegal constructions by "rioters" and demolish them. Read here
"My shop has been here for at least 16-17 years. So far, no one has termed it an encroachment. The action taken today caught me by surprise. I have suffered major losses now": A man who runs a bike repairing shop in #Jahangirpuri tells NDTV pic.twitter.com/JJS2Igs18s
- NDTV (@ndtv) April 20, 2022
#Jahangirpuri | Demolitions stop nearly 2 hours after Supreme Court's order
- NDTV (@ndtv) April 20, 2022
NDTV's Sukirti Dwivedi reports pic.twitter.com/ZbUL96Js3s
The Delhi High court today agreed to hear during the course of the day pleas against the anti-encroachment drive in violence-hit Jahangirpuri, but refused to interfere in the process at this stage. Read here.
The anti-encroachment drive in Delhi's Jahangirpuri has finally stopped. Earlier, there were reports of bulldozers not halting their work despite the Supreme Court order.
The Supreme Court has been complained to regarding the demolition drive not being stopped in Delhi's Jahangirpuri despite the court order. The Supreme Court has directed its Secretary General to promptly inform the NDMC Mayor, Commissioner and Delhi Police Commissioner about its order to halt the drive. Senior advocate Dushyant Dave told the court that not stopping the drive despite the court order sends out a wrong message.
A structure near a mosque in Delhi's Jahangirpuri has been razed during the anti-encroachment drive by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation. This is the same mosque near where clashes had broken out between two groups on Hanuman Jayanti.
The Municipal Corporations of Delhi will continue such demolition drives in other localities of the capital city where Bangladeshi Rohingyas are residing and encroaching on government land, says Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta.
Mayor of North Delhi Municipal Corporation, Raja Iqbal Singh says, "We have stopped our work (anti-encroachment drive in Jahangirpuri)." pic.twitter.com/JMBqLDPh9N
- ANI (@ANI) April 20, 2022
The Supreme Court today halted the anti-encroachment drive in Delhi's Jahangirpuri, which is in the grip of tension after a communal clash broke out during a Hanuman Jayanti procession on Saturday. Read here.