"Where will we go now," ask Muslim residents of Delhi whose homes where demolished
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on October 21 demolished the homes of 25 Muslims in Delhi's Chattarpur constituency without prior notice.
On the morning of October 21, a Friday, Shahid Malik, a man in his late twenties and an accountant at a small firm in south Delhi, came to his one bedroom house measuring 35 yards, in Kharak Rewada, a Muslim-dominated locality in Chattarpur constituency of Delhi for a change of clothes. Malik has been following this routine for the past month, staying at an ESI panel hospital with his two month old child, who was suffering from some rare heart condition since birth.
When Malik got to his house, it was not there to be found. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had just demolished his house. Seeing this, Malik ran towards the rubble to rescue his belongings but was chased by men in police uniforms and one of them hit him with a lathi.
I visited the locality on October 28, seven days after the demolition drive. Yesterday, I received a call from a resident of Kharak Rewada, who informed me that Malik’s two month old child passed away. In a week’s time, Malik lost his son and his home.
Before Delhi Development Authority (DDA) directed its JCBs towards this nondescript locality, Kharak Rewada was home to about 8000 people, predominantly Muslims, mostly working as construction workers, carpenters, rickshaw-pullers and domestic labourers. All that changed on October 21, when Delhi Development Authority (DDA) demolished over 25 houses without prior notice and rendered more than 300 people (Muslims) homeless.
A one storey demolished house in Chattarpur’s Kharak Rewada area, Delhi. (Photo: Arbab Ali)
Demolitions of Muslim homes during Friday prayers
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) came with three bulldozers at 11 AM and carried out demolitions till around 6:30 in the evening. I accessed two Delhi High Court orders dated back to 2018 and 2019, directing the authorities to remove the unauthorised constructions as per the law. However, no new order was found. According to locals, the court case was between the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and a private group called ‘Capital Group’ and they had nothing to do with it.
Nazim Malik, 30 and father of three children, two daughters aged 6 years and 4 years and a son aged 2 years told me that since it was a Friday, a holy day for Muslims, most men were not at home. “They had either gone for Jummah prayers or for some work,” he said. Nazim Malik’s house was also demolished that day.
Nazim Malik’s demolished house. (Photo: Arbab Ali)
“When the bulldozers came, only the women were at home. The female cops forcefully removed the women from the homes and then the bulldozers razed down our homes,” Nazim Malik added. He bought the land in the area in 2010 from a local property agent on General Power of Attorney (GPA) which gives broad authorisations to an individual to make medical decisions, legal choices, or financial or business decisions. The High Courts and Supreme Court on numerous occasions have stated that sales on the basis of General power of Attorney is not valid.
Two years after the purchase, Nazim Malik constructed a two storey house for his extended family of 12 members.
Parveen, a woman in her late thirties, said that the police did not let them rescue their belongings. “The jewellery my parents gave me for my weddings is lost now. Everything I once owned, is rubble now,” she said in a broken voice.
Nargis Begum, 35, told me that for four days straight she did not have a change of clothes. “It was only after we got the Almirah out of the rubble, three days ago, that we got some clothes. Begum’s home was a two storey structure and living in it were 5 families.
Nargis Begum, 35, sitting in front of her demolished house in Chattarpur’s Kharak Rewada in Delhi. (Photo: Arbab Ali)
Begum’s cousin, Sanjida, told me she could not offer Jummah prayers on October 21. I visited Kharak Riwara on October 28, another Friday. Sajida did not offer Jummah prayers yesterday also because of the demolition. Sanjida believes that Friday was specially chosen for the demolition drive. She did not elaborate.
Living in the area for more than a decade
Kamaruddin, who estimates he is in his forties, like many Indians, goes by just first name, also lost his home to the bulldozers. Working in the carpentry business, Kamaruddin, shifted to this side of Delhi from Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh, his hometown, in 2011.
Just like Nazim Malik, Kamaruddin also brought the plot, measuring 150 yards, on General Power of Attorney (GPA) from a property dealer. Kamaruddin told me that a decade ago, property rates in the colony were not that high and since a Muslim community was already present, for reasons of security, he shifted with his family here.
“No one raised any objection to me building the house at that time,” he said.
“Where will we go now,” Kamaruddin asked, looking at me, hoping I would have the answer.
Kamaruddin showed me a white marking on the front of his now razed house which read ‘13 M’ with an upward white arrow. The marking was put up by authorities a week before the demolition. “When I asked them what the markings were about, they did not answer,” he told me.
Photo 4: A white marking put by officials which reads ‘13 M’ with an upward white arrow on the wall of Kamaruddin’s now razed house. (Photo: Arbab Ali)
Just a day before the demolition, on the night of 20 October, Kamaruddin’s daughter in law had a cesarean section, and gave birth to a girl. He told me that the local thana (police station) called some resident of the area and told them the next morning a demolition drive would be carried out in the area. “They did not tell us where in Kharak, the demolition would be carried out,” he said.
Kamaruddin said that since they did not know the exact location of the demolition they did not shift their belongings prior to the bulldozer action. “I just rushed into my home and took out some clothes from the almirah, put them in a bag and threw the bag in the next room. They bulldozed my two rooms. They just spared my drawing room,” he said.
Photo 5: Kamaruddin’s demolished house. (Photo: Arbab Ali)
Kamaruddin told me that during the demolition, some Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials came to his now demolished home, sat in the drawing room, asked for water and then money. “I asked for what they were asking me for the money. They said it was for not demolishing my drawing room,” he alleged.
“I did not pay,” he told me. Kamaruddin is currently living with his son and his family, some 50 meters away from his old home. He showed me his electricity meter bill which had the energisation date of April 2013. “We have government installed cameras here, RCC roads, and government bore water. I do not know how can they (the DDA) say this is not our land when they gave us these facilities,” he said.
BSES, a joint venture of Reliance Infrastructure Limited & government of Delhi, removed the meters of the 25 homes during the demolition drive, told residents.
Local AAP legislator blamed by residents for lack of support
Kartar Singh Tanwar, two-term legislator of the area from Aam Aadmi Party, the ruling party in Delhi, was present at the spot during the demolition. Prior to joining Aam Aadmi Party in 2014, Tanwar was a leader with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Over the past few months, Bharatiya Janata Party’s ruled states, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, have seen an upward tick in the demolition of homes of Muslims accused of any misdemeanour. Indian and international peace bodies and human rights organisations have repeatedly condemned the use of bulldozers against Muslims and called it discriminatory and a violation of both, Indian and international human rights laws.
Residents said Tanwar asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials for the demolition notice but they could not show anything.
Residents whose homes have been demolished are unhappy with how Tanwar handled the situation. “When the officials were unable to show the notice, the MLA should have acted and stopped the demolition. He just stood there and did nothing,” said a resident on the condition of anonymity fearing reprisal from Tanwar and his followers.
Since the demolition, Tanwar has visited the area only once, three days ago, said the residents. Chattar Singh Tanwar, the legislator’s brother, overlooks the distribution of Jal Board water in this area, said another on the condition of anonymity. “We have called him multiple times asking for water drums and water tankers. He sends water tankers in only two-three days, that too after repeated calls. He has not given us the drums to collect water in,” the resident alleged.
The area has around 8000 Muslim residents of which about 2500 people are voters. “We gave him our votes, in 2020 and in 2015 also. And this is what he gave us in return, nothing,” said Kamaruddin.
I reached out to Kartar Singh Tanwar over a phone call and on text message but he has not responded yet. This story will be updated when he responds.
Residents allege police brutality
Nargis Begum narrated how her younger sister, Reshma was manhandled by not just female cops but male cops also when she tried to rescue her belongings from her home. Reshma’s left arm was broken during the manhandling incident, Begum told me. Reshma is currently at her mother’s place in Sangam Vihar in Delhi.
I asked Begum if an MLC (Medico-legal Case) was done in her sister’s case. She did not know.
Begum alleged that during the demolition, the cops said to her, that if they speak up against the demolition, they will make them disappear.
Others also had a similar story to tell.
Photo 6: A female resident showed her injured hand during police action. (Photo: Arbab Ali)
I met Sahiba, a resident who alleged she was beaten up by the cops. “They razed our house. Won’t we even speak?” she asked.
The 35-year-old told me that she was beaten by a cop in plain-clothes and two female uniformed cops. “They dragged me from here to the chowk.”
Sahiba was taken to Maidan Garhi Police Station at around 3 PM and only released at around 8 PM when her family arrived at the police station. According to the rules, women cannot be detained after sunset. I reached out to Rajeev Kumar, Station House Officer (SHO) of Maidan Garhi Police Station over the phone call and WhatsApp but he has not responded yet. Kumar read the WhatsApp messages. This story will be updated when he responds.
Residents afraid of further demolitions; determined to fight it legally
It's been a week since the demolition, but residents are still in lurch, afraid of further demolitions. Sahiba and others in the area told me that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials threatened them with further demolitions post Diwali.
There were statements and tweets floating around on social media claiming that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials told the residents that they would face the kind of bulldozing that Muslims of Uttar Pradesh are having to deal with, under the Yogi government. I spoke to multiple residents about this. All of them refuted these allegations.
Shakir Ali, a man in his late forties, has been running from pole to post since the past one week trying to get a stay order from the High Court of Delhi. “We met the judge at the court today. He told us that we do not need a stay order as they did not issue a demolition order,” Ali told me, in a relieved tone.
Ali is determined not to let the officials get unpunished. “They demolished our homes illegally, without a notice. Each one of us has lost lakhs of rupees because of this. We will challenge this in court,” he said in a firm tone.
Arbab Ali is an independent reporter based in New Delhi.