Kejriwal politicises baby’s death – PTI plays along

“In Delhi itself, there are 47,000 encroachment on railway land and because of that there are serious problems in (railway) operations”, said Arora.

Kuddus said the notice for demolition reached them only the previous evening.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is set to lock horns with the Ministry of Railways as the Arvind Kejriwal regime is set to take the legal route to press action against the Indian Railways for undertaking the demolition drive in Shakurpur basti destroying around 500 shanties. “We took her to hospital but she could not survive”, she said. He also ordered officials to immediately provide blankets and food to those who were rendered homeless following the drive. One child was reported killed in the incident.

Whoever are the officers who have done this, I don’t think they are human beings… Who gave them the authority to conduct the midnight raid?

The Delhi CM also spoke to the Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu about the matter, who he claimed was also “shocked”. The railways said the demolition was carried out after three notices, the first one with the March 14, 2015 deadline.

Congress targeted both the ruling APP in Delhi and the Centre for not making “alternative” arrangements for sheltering the evicted and questioned how it was possible that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was in the dark about the “massive” demolition drive. “We informed him that his views will probably be communicated to the railway ministry”, Arora added. “They did not arrange the same, so have suspended them”, Kejriwal said in a series of tweets.

“Suspended two SDMs (sub-divisional magistrates) and one SE (superintending engineer) for not providing relief”, the chief minister said in another tweet. A case under Section 302 (murder) of IPC will be registered against those officials responsible behind the death of the baby girl.

“It is being said that around 500 shanties were demolished”.

After visiting the spot around 2 a.m. on Sunday, he said: “Coming back from the demolition site”.

“My child, who had just started seeing the world, would have been by my side today if the officials had shown generosity and given us little time and a prior notice”, Anwar said.

Earlier, a railway official said the demolition was undertaken as “There is a need for constructing additional platforms, repairing yard, washing line, maintenance facility and office space for store and engineering division so that more long distance and local trains can be handled at the Shakur Basti station”.