Following a series of court-ordered home demolitions in Tughlagabad, a multitude of displaced slum residents rallied at Jantar Mantar, under the banner of Mazdoor Awas Sangathan Samiti. The protestors, from across Delhi, united to demand immediate government intervention and rehabilitation. The demonstrations were intensified by the hunger strike of Reena, a 45-year-old Tughlagabad resident, alongside widespread fears that the city's beautification efforts for the upcoming G20 Summit have escalated the evictions. The protest spotlighted the increasing tensions between urban development and housing rights in the city, posing serious ethical questions under the global gaze.
In the wake of a court-ordered demolition campaign in Tughlagabad on April 30, thousands of displaced residents gathered in protest at Jantar Mantar under the flag of the Mazdoor Awas Sangathan Samiti, demanding immediate government intervention for rehabilitation.
Families evicted from various regions across Delhi in recent months congregated last week, amplifying their plea for compensation and reinstatement. Central to the protest was Reena (45), a Tughlagabad local on an eight-day hunger strike. Despite her depleted energy, she insisted on joining the protest, determined to draw government attention to their predicament.
"If something befalls Reena, it's on the government's head," warned Bhupendra Kumar, a fellow evictee. He highlighted the critical roles slum residents play as service providers within the city, from domestic help to drivers and gatekeepers for the affluent. He implored the government to consider the fate of these families, many with children and elderly members, before issuing demolition orders.
This recent wave of eviction followed the Delhi high court's directive to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to clear encroachments around fort locations. This includes a high-profile eviction in March of residents from Moolchand Basti, situated on the Yamuna floodplains. On this occasion, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) levelled approximately 50 jhuggis and expansive farming land in Bela Estate.
Bela Estate resident, Rekha Kumari, stood among the protestors with a placard advocating for rehabilitation. She asserted many evictees held tangible proof of their lineage living and farming on the Yamuna floodplains dating back to the British era. Given the recent National Green Tribunal ruling that living on floodplains is illegal, Kumari called for suitable relocation arrangements before eviction.
Many protestors suggested the imminent G20 Summit, set to be hosted by Delhi, as the key motivator behind the accelerated beautification efforts leading to their evictions. Nirmal Gorana Agni, convenor of Mazdoor Awas Sangharsh Samiti, cautioned that the number of displaced individuals is set to surge. He alleged that over the past two months, over 200,000 people across Delhi, including those from Tughlagabad, Yamuna Khadar, Bela Estate, Shaheen Bagh, Subhash, and Sansi camps, have lost their homes without receiving suitable resettlement.
Agni pointed out the ongoing legal challenge against the Delhi government's rehabilitation policy in the Supreme Court, critiquing the state's lack of humanitarian concern. Despite portraying itself as a welfare state, Agni said the government has displayed little empathy for its displaced citizens, vowing that their struggle for dignified living rights will only intensify.
As Delhi grapples with balancing urban development with the housing rights of its vulnerable citizens, the escalating protests amplify a pressing demand for immediate and effective rehabilitation policies. With the G20 Summit on the horizon, the issue brings the city's ethical stance on urban poverty and displacement under intense global scrutiny.
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