Delhi: Demolition drive faces protest, AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan arrested
As the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMA) carried out an anti-encroachment drive in the Madanpur Khadar area on Thursday, protests erupted with people pelting stones and leaving a few security personnel injured, the police said. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan, who was part of the protest, was reportedly arrested along with other protesters. Here's what went down.
Why does this story matter?
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi faced severe criticism after Opposition parties and locals called the anti-encroachment drives politically motivated and 'anti-poor.' The North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) demolition drive in Jahangirpuri grabbed headlines for all the wrong reasons with many questioning its timing as it took place just days after the area witnessed communal clashes on Hanuman Jayanti (April 16).
Civic body was trying to demolish six-story building
The Bharatiya Janata Party-helmed civic body rolled bulldozers into Madanpur Khadar in South East Delhi and demolished several "illegally constructed" structures. Many workers could be seen pounding at a six-story building with a hammer from the inside even as the bulldozer was trying to demolish it. The locals claimed there was no prior intimation about the same.
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More than 10 people detained by police
Locals and AAP supporters protested against the demolition drive and were found pelting stones, news agency ANI reported. They also accused the civic body of rampant corruption. The police were seen trying to disperse the angry mob with batons. Several scooters and motorbikes were also upturned in the aftermath. More than 10 people, including two women, had been detained, the police said.
Anti-encroachment drives in several parts of national capital
The civic authorities have been carrying out anti-encroachment drives in various parts of Delhi since mid-April. The SDMC removed illegal and temporary structures in Madanpur Khadar and Dhirsen Marg on Thursday. It had also carried out similar drives in Najafgarh, Dwarka, and Lodhi Colony a day before. On the other hand, the NDMC took action against illegal structures in Rohini and Karol Bagh.
