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Police stop Oppn leaders from meeting victims, their families

Police stop Oppn leaders from meeting victims, their families
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New Delhi: Two days after the 'anti-encroachment' drive at the violence-hit Jahangirpuri area in North-west Delhi, fact-finding teams of the CPI, Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party visited the Kushal Chowk and the adjacent affected areas of the C-Block where the delegations were stopped from meeting the victims and their families.

On Friday afternoon, a five-member delegation led by CPI general secretary and former Rajya Sabha MP D Raja was stopped at the Kushal Chowk by the Delhi Police. "We came here to meet the victims. The police stopped us, saying it is a matter of law and order. We are not creating a law and order issue. How were bulldozers allowed to carry on the demolition despite the Supreme Court's order," D Raja asked.

"Is it the Republic of India or the bulldozer of India?"

He also asserted: "Who should be held responsible for the demolition? And how did the Delhi Police act? The Delhi Police is directly under the Home Ministry headed by Amit Shah. Amit Shah should be held responsible for the illegal bulldozing without following any due process."

Annie Raja and CPI Rajya Sabha member Vinay Viswam, A Khan, and Pallav Sen Gupta were also part of the delegation.

The team reached the place at 2 pm and waited till 4 pm. However, they were not allowed to visit the violence-affected zone, which is now completely blocked by the police.

At around 2.30 pm, another fact-finding team, consisting of five women parliamentarians of Trinamool Congress reached Jahangirpuri. First, they were stopped from entering the C-Block area from the main entrance by the police personnel posted there but with the help of a local woman, the delegation entered the area.

However, later they were forcibly stopped by senior Delhi Police officers at Jama Masjid, where the demolition took place on Wednesday. The fact-finding team was led by Lok Sabha member and senior TMC leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and other women MPs, including Sajda Ahmed, Aparupa Poddar and Shatabdi Roy.

"The police have completely blocked the entire area. This is abnormal! However, with the help of a local woman, we could enter the area. We spoke to the people there and they informed us about the communal tension that broke out on Saturday, as well as the 'illegal' and 'deliberate' demolition. We have taken photographs and also noted their statements. When the police came to know regarding our presence there, they restricted us. That will not stop us to take note of the atrocities and we will be submitting the report to our leader Mamata Banerjee," Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said. Another TMC Lok Sabha member also posted pictures on her Twitter account and mentioned: "BJP government and Delhi Police are scared of the truth of the violence being exposed if the delegation was allowed to meet the victims."

At 4 pm, a five-member delegation of the Samajwadi Party also reached the Kushal Chowk. However, they were also stopped. Former SP Rajya Sabha member Javed Ali Khan, Lok Sabha MPs ST Hassan, Shafiqur Rahman Barq, Rajya Sabha member Vishambhar Prasad Nishad and former Lok Sabha member of the party Ravi Prakash Verma were part of the Samajwadi Party's fact-finding team.

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