NEW DELHI: The Police tear gassed and lathi-charged an irate gathering of Sikhs who unsheathed their kirpan as DDA authorities undertook the demolition of unauthorized structures built around Majnu-ka-Tila Gurdwara in North Delhi on June 23.
About 15 persons including half a-dozen policemen were injured in the six-hour drama which started about 12 noon. Over 500 people including women who had gathered inside the gurdwara premises threw bricks and stones at the large police posse and DDA officials.
In retaliation police fired 40 teargas shells inside the Gurdwara compound. Hundreds of Sikhs then came out brandishing kirpans and rushed forward raising war cries of Bole Sone Haal Sat Shri Akal. The police resorted to lathi-charge to push them back.
The demolition continued under heavy police protection. There was palpable tension which threat to break into violence when DDA officials went to demolish the Nishan Sahib. The situation was controlled by the supervising DDA. Officer who let the long structure remain untouched.
The incident took an unseemly tum and once again the friction between the Lt Governor and the elected Delhi Government was evident when two Ministers reached the site and brought the demolition to a halt.
Delhi Ministers for Industries ant Finance respectively Harsharan Singh Balli and Jagdish Mukhi reached the Gurdwara about 5:30 pm. They said they represented the Chief Minister Madan Lal Khupana there.
The unauthorized structures had nearly been razed to ground by then. The langar (place where food is served) and joda khana (place where shoes are kept) were completely pulled down. Living quarters built recently were almost razed when the ministers came and stood in front of the bulldozer.
They asked the supervising DDA officer to show them the demolition orders. Commissioner (Housing) Roy (officiating in absence of Land Commissioner K-J.A phones) failed to produce any written order.
He said the L-G had verbally told him on Wednesday evening to undertake the demolition. He also said that Director (Horticulture) R. Dayal had actually been asked to take up the task. I was just told to assist him. Mr. Dayal might have the written orders said Mr. Roy. Mr. Dayal was untraceable at that time Taking a serious note the Ministers asked Roy to stop the work immediately. When he protested an apparently agitated Bali said the L-G gave you the orders to demolish. I a Minister am ordering you to stop.
Mukhi was equally vociferous in his criticism of the L-Gs order. The demolition is absolutely wrong. The CM should have been taken into confidence about it. We would have handled the situation properly and resolved the issue by talking across the table continued Mukhi.
Anyway he added the demolition was not authorized as even an old Structure was razed down. He said a brick from the razed langar was marked 1965.
The various Sikh leaders gathered there refuted the DDA claim that the structures were an encroachment. They also said that the people living there had not been served any notice before the demolition.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 1, 1994
