Delhi Slum Demolition Protest: Kejriwal to raise issue in Parliament

On Monday Rahul Gandhi met the displaced men, women and children and vowed to fight for their rights. “His party has perhaps not told him that railway comes under the central government, not Delhi government”.

The demolition of 1200 slum units at Shakur Basti in West Delhi was carried out yesterday, with the railways saying the action was necessary for expanding the infrastructure. Parliamentarians of the Trinamool Congress had also joined AAP in the protest.

“Why is AAP doing dharna?”

The Delhi government also need to help them by providing the facilities of food, drinking water, night shelters and offering them residential facilities, the BJP leader said.

“First, people living in the slums will be rehabilitated peacefully, then the vacant land will be handed over to the Railways”.

In the letter, the Delhi Chief Minister also drew Prabhu’s attention towards an old communiqué between the two regarding new Delhi Slum Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015, which is now under Union Ministry of Urban Development’s examination. The AAP government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the demolition drive and death of the six-month girl though railways has said that the incident had “nothing to do with removal of encroachments”.

Petitioner advocate Prem Pal Singh said the plea filed yesterday by a Congress leader had only sought rehabilitation of the people, who were rendered homeless in biting cold.

Gandhi said: “We will try to help you…” “It is a dire situation where life and liberty of the people are in grave danger”, the bench said, taking note of the death of an infant in the drive, though the railways has said it had “nothing” to do with the demolition.

More than 500 slums were demolished in an anti-encroachment drive conducted by the Indian Railways in Shakur Basti on Saturday. Her remarks came after Kejriwal’s attack on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, whom he had called a “child”.

On Monday, the Delhi government again blamed the central government and the railways for the “inhuman” anti-encroachment drive carried out in the absence of a rehabilitation programme for those evicted. Autopsy has revealed fractures in ribs and head injury, it added.

The railways claim that the slum residents were given several notices asking them to vacate the land for a new terminal.

The drive, he said, was aimed at “teaching a lesson to Kejriwal”.