Kashmir Digits

Bulldozers and JCBs were seen arriving at Shaheen Bagh on Monday with the anti encroachment drive of South Delhi Municipal Corporation pushing ahead at the locality which was the hub of anti-CAA protests couple of years ago.

Residents began protesting against the drive, sitting on roads and blocking way of JCBs and bulldozers

India Today TV spoke to residents of Shaheen Bagh, who claimed there was no illegal encroachment on public land.

Wazib, a councillor who denied any encroachment on road number 13, said, “It is a CPWD road. MCD has nothing to do with it. People have left space in front of their roads.”

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Aam Aadmi Party’s Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan also reached the spot amid the commotion over the planned demolition drive. He said the action was being undertaken to “deliberately disturb law and order.”

“I am here now. Let them show where the encroachment is,” he added.

 Amanatullah Khan said there are no illegal encroachment in the Shaheen Bagh area and that he himself had removed all illegal structures. He alleged the civic body and the BJP are playing politics.

As locals and political activists led by the AAP and Congress continued protesting, the bulldozers and JCBs left the area and moved off towards Sarita Vihar.

The issue of the demolition drive in Shaheen Bagh will be raised before the Supreme Court bench hearing cases of the anti-encroachment operation launched by the BJP-controlled Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in the city in recent weeks.

A petition filed by the CPM against the demolition drive in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri, including areas like Shaheen Bagh , is expected to be heard today by the Supreme Court.

It is likely to be heard later today along with other petitions against the Jahangirpuri demolitions.

Calling the action “absolutely and manifestly arbitrary”, the petition claimed that without giving proper show-cause notice and giving breathing time to the people residing and working in different areas of south Delhi, the respondents proposed to start demolition.

The plea also alleged that with its so-called anti-encroachment drive, the SDMC was maliciously indulging in a political game plan