Police prevents TMC, SP delegations from proceeding to site of demolition drive in Jahangirpuri

A day after a delegation of Congress leaders was prevented from proceeding to the site of a demolition drive in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area carried out by BJP-ruled North MCD on Wednesday, two separate delegations comprising of senior TMC and SP leaders too were stopped by the Delhi Police before they could reach the spot.

The TMC delegation, as per those present on ground zero, was first “misled” by the police, and then not allowed to visit the mosque in the vicinity of which communal violence had broken out while a procession was being taken out on Hanuman Jayanti on April 16.

The front of the mosque was damaged as a result of the demolition drive carried out on Wednesday.

Led by Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, the TMC delegation included Shatabdi Roy, Pratima Mandal, Sajda Ahmed and Arpita Ghosh.

The TMC leaders later accused Delhi Police of displaying “non-cooperative behavior”.

TMC supremo and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has asked the delegation to submit its findings soon.

Speaking in Kolkata on Thursday, Banerjee had said, “We do not want to bulldoze, we do not want to divide. We want to unite the people.”

A five-member delegation of the Samajwadi Party, which comprised of sitting and former MPs, too was stopped by the police from reaching ground zero.

Talking to National Herald, former MP Javed Ali Khan, who was part of the SP delegation, said that the police was trying to hide the truth.

“Delhi Police is not allowing us to meet the victims. What kind of democracy is this? No rule prevents representatives of any political party from meeting the people,” he said.

He said the delegation will file a report and send it to party chief Akhilesh Yadav tonight.

A so-called anti-encroachment drive carried out by the North MCD close on the heels of communal violence in the area, during which several “illegal” structures were demolished before the Supreme Court issued a status quo order, has led to an uproar in political circles.

The Opposition has accused the BJP of deliberately targeting Muslims in a bid to browbeat them as part of its Hindutva agenda, even as the North Delhi Mayor maintained that it was a ‘routine’ anti-encroachment drive undertaken by the civic body.