Fatehpur Beri being a predominantly Muslim locality the police chose to demolish the houses at the time of Friday prayer. The officials even told the residents that they would face the kind of bulldozing that Muslims of Uttar Pradesh subjected to under the Yogi government
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – A team of activists, on Thursday, found that around 25 houses were demolished by Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in southwest Delhi’s Muslim locality named Fatehpur Beri on Friday during namaz time without a prior official or court notice.
The team consisted of Akash Bhattacharya from All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Anupradha from All India Lawyers for Justice (AILAJ), Naushad Ahmed RaZa from All India Student Association (AISA), and Suman Ghosh from All India Progressive Women Association (AIPWA) talked to the people there and learnt that not only did the DDA not issue any prior notice but refused to produce the relevant court orders when the people demanded it.
According to the team, the Delhi Police resorted to lathi charge for uninterrupted illegal demolition that caused injuries to several people including women. What’s more, male policemen even manhandled the protesting women residents.
“The residents of the demolished houses were not even given time to retrieve their household items. The DDA officers have threatened to come back with bulldozers after Diwali to demolish more houses,” they said.
Fatehpur Beri being a predominantly Muslim locality the police chose to demolish the houses at the time of Friday prayer. The officials even told the residents that they would face the kind of bulldozing that Muslims of Uttar Pradesh subjected to under the Yogi government.
The team also found that local MLA Kartar Singh Tanwar from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also refused to intervene on behalf of the residents.
CPI ML (Communist Party of India Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) has condemned the DDA’s refusal to serve any prior notice to give the residents a chance to approach the court and seek a stay.
It has described the DDA’s action as “anti-Muslim” and “anti-poor”.
“We also condemn the brutal police action. We demand that there should be no further demolition without prior notice, due compensation should be given to the victims of this sudden demolition, and the guilty policemen should be punished,” said Sucheta De, a leader of CPI ML (Liberation).
