Homeless hero

WAKEEL Hassan, a member of the rat-hole miners’ team that rescued 41 workers trapped in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel in November last year, was rendered homeless after his house at Khajoori Khas in the national capital was razed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) during a demolition drive. It was a bolt from the blue for Hassan, who was among those who had risked their lives while carrying out a nerve-racking operation in the partially collapsed tunnel. Hassan alleged that the DDA demolished his house without giving him prior notice. Justifying its action, the DDA said it could not allow encroachment on its land or unauthorised construction in its development areas. The authority also claimed that Hassan had declined its offer of shifting him and his family to a temporary accommodation.

Feted as a hero barely three months ago, Hassan now finds himself at the receiving end of official high-handedness. The unsavoury row has triggered a war of words between the BJP and Opposition parties since the DDA comes under the Centre’s jurisdiction. AAP, the ruling party in Delhi, has repeatedly accused the BJP-led Centre of targeting slum clusters for political reasons.

The proliferation of encroachments in the national capital lays bare the laxity of the authorities. Moreover, political patronage emboldens dwellers to stay put on encroached land and build their dwellings anew after they have been razed. A pick-and-choose approach, whereby localities dominated by minorities bear the brunt of demolitions, is also a cause for concern. In April 2022, the Supreme Court had stayed a demolition drive in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri in the wake of communal clashes during a Hanuman Jayanti procession. Whenever the due process is not followed, such exercises reek of an attempt to punish wrongdoers of a particular community. Officials must be held to account for resorting to vindictive, selective action.

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