New Delhi. Whatever happened in Jahangirpuri today, it has refreshed the dreadful scene of Turkman Gate almost four decades ago in our minds. So before knowing the scary story of four decades ago, know what happened in Jahangirpuri today. Today, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation had reached there to demolish illegal slums as per the instructions of the government, but as a result of the intervention of the Supreme Court, the demolition process had to be stopped midway. In fact, Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind filed a petition in the Supreme Court asking to stop the demolition exercise, as a result of which the corporation had to stop this action. It is known that the Corporation has taken the above action as a result of stone pelting on Hanuman Jayanti procession in the past. So let’s take a look at the recent developments. Now you must be thinking that after all, what is the relation of the demolition of illegal slums in Jahangirpuri with Turkiman Gate. Now before understanding what is the concern between the two, you have to know that after the above action of the corporation, the opposition parties have opened a front against the Modi government at the Center.
Some are accusing the Modi government of taking out the funeral procession, while some are accusing the government of crushing the issues of public concern, and for the past few days, the way the opposition parties have targeted the Yogi government for the action of bulldozers. Going on, you must be aware of this, but do you know that the Congress, which has targeted the Modi government at the Center, has forgotten the exploits of Turkman Gate done by its ancestors. Congressmen are probably forgetting how many people were left homeless, destitute and helpless with the help of bulldozers in 1976 when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister. It was the Congress government then, when the DDA officials, following Indira’s orders, snatched their homes from lakhs of poor people within a moment and forced them to wander from door to door. The manner in which salt was sprinkled on the wounds of the poor during that period of emergency can hardly be described in words. The date can hardly be forgotten when so many residents were made homeless.
Terrifying scene of Turkiman Gate
That date was April 16…1976…it was a heavy afternoon….the birds were sitting on the trees… then suddenly the bulldozer convoy knocked on the narrow streets of Turkman Gate with the aim of demolishing the shelters of the poor… The group of laborers was going back and forth. Within a short time, the transit of laborers started breaking down the walls. It is said that no one protested at that time. Let us inform that at that time the demolition exercise was started under the leadership of Kashmiri Lal. But later people started suspecting that there must be something black in the pulse, but here the whole pulse was black. After which the local residents started opposing the demolition process being led by Kashmiri Lal. However, Kashmiri Lal tried to convince them from his side that there is nothing like this. You guys don’t need to panic. We have come only to break the footpath.
No damage will be done to your houses. You be absolutely safe. But alas, what would Kashmir Lal do? Under the burden of carrying out the orders of the high command, Kashmiri Lal instructed all the bulldozer operators to demolish the uncountable slums of the poor and what was the matter. In the blink of an eye, the homes of many residents were destroyed forever. See the meaninglessness of the emergency that no newspaper thought it necessary to publish that news. People sitting in front of their dilapidated huts were watching their dreams being scattered. However, all these people were allotted houses of 25 yards in Mangolpuri. But look at the plight of those houses that neither there was proper arrangement for living nor easy availability of toilets. There was no water system in the toilets, neither doors nor roof. Lines of 50-50 people used to be seen outside the toilets. Many people had gone to other places after selling the houses allotted by the government at that time. At that time, if anyone even thought of opening a front against the then government, his ideas were crushed before they even flourished. These devastating events have been captured by the then writers with their own pen in terms of their experiences. So this was the face of the then Congress government regarding issues of public interest.