Anti-encroachment drive in Shaheen Bagh, says South MCD mayor, invokes ‘Bangladeshis’

During his visit, Suryan said a similar exercise and anti-encroachment drive will be undertaken in Shaheen Bagh. The area saw anti-CAA protests for months.

“We will run bulldozers in areas where Bangladeshis and Rohingyas have settled and where there are illegal encroachments,” said Suryan. He said drives would be against illegal encroachments in all areas except where courts have ordered a stay.

Earlier this month, the North MCD carried out a drive in Jahangirpuri, which was later stayed by the Supreme Court. The civic body had not issued notice for the drive, which came days after communal violence in the area.

Suryan said Wednesday’s drive was to see the scale of encroachment, and action would be taken in the coming days. Talking about the drive being planned in Shaheen Bagh, he said, “We could not go there today as the local councillor could not be contacted. But in coming days there will be action there too.”

Sources in the corporation said that while Suryan is willing to conduct a drive, there is resistance from the municipal commissioner. Suryan has the backing of the BJP as party chief Adesh Gupta wrote to the East and South municipal corporations mayors recently to identify and demolish “illegal encroachment” in their jurisdictions, a day after the Jahangirpuri drive, sources said.

As Suryan visited these areas Wednesday, there were apprehensions among people, especially those living in jhuggi clusters, that their homes could be targeted.

Anil Kumar, a resident of Jasola Vihar Khadda Colony, said there were talks that houses would be demolished. Another resident of a jhuggi cluster in Jasola, Premwati, said, “We brought this home 40 years ago. We have all the papers, then why are there so many government officials here?”

The Aam Aadmi Party meanwhile protested against the move, calling it anti-people. The party held a protest at the BJP headquarters on Wednesday, alleging that these drives are extortion rackets running in the guise of “bulldozer justice”.

“BJP councillors have understood these are their last days in the MCD so they are trying their best to mint money,” said AAP MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak.

Leader of opposition in the North MCD Vikas Goel said that people are being served notices so that BJP can use this model to extort money from them.

In the past, AAP has blamed the BJP for helping settle Bangladeshis and Rohingya in different parts of the country to “use” them during communal riots.