Shakur Basti demolition: Rahul attacks Kejriwal as AAP, TMC protest outside Parliament

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay said: “For the past one year the Kejriwal government has done nothing to settle the slum dwellers, though 5,000 houses are ready”. “I am sorry that is not the style that is followed in governance”, she said without naming Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The issues triggered noisy protests by AAP and Trinamool Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha.

Slamming Rahul for taking mileage over the incident, AAP said, “Where was Rahul Gandhi for the 48 hours”.

The Delhi government said the demolition violated judicial orders, and were carried out without informing it.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hit out at Rahul for questioning the Aam Aadmi Party’s protest against the demolition, saying that he was still a “child” in politics.

“In principle, it was decided that there will be no demolition anywhere without rehabilitation in the coming days”, Kejriwal said after the meeting.

In the evening, senior railway officials, including Northern Railway General Manager A K Puthia and Delhi Divisional Railway Manager Arun Arora, met him to explain why the slum cluster was demolished but the “difference of opinion” persisted between the two sides.

The Delhi government ordered a magisterial probe into the demolition of the 1,200 slum units at Shakur Basti in West Delhi.

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.

Observing that the railways was in a hurry to demolish the shanties in Shakur Basti, the bench asked: “What was the tearing hurry to demolish Shakur Basti JJ cluster in December?”

More than 500 hutments were demolished by Indian Railways authorities in Shakur Basti on Saturday, allegedly resulting in the death of an infant and leaving hundreds homeless in the winter chill. An infant died in controversial circumstances during the drive. “First the hospital refused to admit her and then later they admitted her”, said another resident, Lakhan.

The high court also said that there should be no further “violence” against those who have been left homeless.

The encroachment at Shakur Basti was temporaray in nature and several notices were served to encroachers for vacation of land, the minister said.