Mayor On Why Bulldozers Kept Moving In Delhi's Jahangirpuri Even After Court Pause

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.

Raja Iqbal Singh, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor, insisted that the demolition drive was not confined to the riot-accused in Jahangirpuri, where communal clashes broke out on Saturday during a Hanuman Jayanti procession.

"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.

By the time the bulldozers were done, 20 shops and structures outside a mosque had been razed.

The mosque was the same outside which the violence broke out on Saturday, when a Hanuman Jayanti procession was passing by the area and two groups started arguing about the loud music playing at the same time as the azaan or Muslim call to prayer.

Among the structures that were razed was a permanent shop whose owner said he had the permission of civic authorities.

"Only temporary structures were removed," Iqbal Singh claimed. When asked about the permanent shop, he claimed that "documents would prove everything".

He said today his team removed encroachment by scrap dealers on public land. "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.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a petition against the anti-encroachment drive and paused all demolition until tomorrow's hearing.

The petitioners who urged the Supreme Court to stop the demolition flagged what they called a disturbing pattern seen in states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh - communal clashes followed by demolition drives targeting one community. The petitioner also said the Municipal Corporation of Delhi had not alerted anyone before the razing operation.

Iqbal Singh claimed that the anti-encroachment drive had nothing to do with Saturday's violence. He, however, evaded questions about whether the civic body informed the police about the action before or after Saturday's violence.

"I don't have any idea. They must have informed the cops as part of routine procedure," Mr Singh claimed.

He also avoided a direct response to allegations that no show cause notice was issued before the drive to remove illegal structures. "The MCD's job is to clear encroachments. MCD is a government office. For us everyone is the same," he said.

A three-judge bench led by the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana ordered status quo until the next hearing but the drive continued for two more hours, until the court intervened for the second time.

Chief Justice Ramana directed the court staff to take down the contact numbers of the NDMC Mayor, Commissioner and Delhi Police Commissioner and make sure that the order reached the civic authorities immediately.

"It was nothing like that. The moment we received the Supreme Court order, we stopped," the Mayor said, denying any contempt of court.

"We respect the Supreme Court and we 100% followed the Supreme Court's order."