By Md Ali, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: There was a complete Bandh in the first half of 18th of July, in Jamia Nagar, a Muslim dominated locality of South Delhi. It was called by Asif Mohammad Khan, the local MLA, as a protest against the proposed sealing and demolition drive in the area on July 21, 2010, by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi which will be carried out under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court’s Monitoring Committee for Sealing and Demolition.
The bandh went almost peacefully with almost all the markets of the area closed till 2 PM. On the other hand, Sandeep Dixit, the MP from the area, visited Jamia Nagar on Sunday evening. He promised the residents, that he won’t let even a single house and even a single shop, to get affected by the proposed sealing and demolition drive on July 21, 2010.
Batla House Chowk during bandh
Asif Mohammad Khan, third from left (sitting) in white Kurta Payjama
Okhla Head, with few open shops, with the poster calling the sealing drive as anti-Muslim
Background of SC monitored sealing drive
It should be noted that, the Apex court had constituted Monitoring Committee for Sealing and Demolition to seal and demolish a number of illegal commercial establishments in Delhi, The demolition and sealing drive was started in February 2006, and ran until early 2007. According to the latest Ordinance passed by the UPA government sealing and demolition work in Delhi will not be done before 31st December 2010.
But the sealing and demolition drive was back on 1st of June 2010 after many judgments of Delhi High Court and the Apex court, clashed with the confusing and self contradictory stands of the government of Delhi and the central government.
Interestingly Jamia Nagar is not the first area in Delhi where sealing and demolition drive is expected. Before Jamia Nagar, as part of the resumed sealing drive, many illegal and unauthorized shops and buildings in Vasant Kunj, Lajpat Nagar and Chhatarpur have been demolished since last one month.
Legal status of Jamia Nagar
Like many other colonies in Delhi, Jamia Nagar too had many colonies which were initially illegal. But by an order of the Lt. Governor of NCT of Delhi, dated 12-12-2007, all the constructions between 2002 and 12-12-2007 were provided the status of “unauthorized/regularized”. As per this order further constructions on these lands were not allowed but later on the government allowed maintenance and renovation of those buildings.
Illegal constructions in Jamia
Quite frankly there are many illegal constructions going on in Jamia Nagar even these days, but it’s like any other colonies in Delhi where illegal construction is very common. Little help of politicians like Sandeep Dixit, MP from the area, Pervez Hashmi, former MLA from Jamia Nagar and a little bribe to the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Jamia Nagar Police Station paved the way for illegal construction in the area. Since last two years unauthorized construction has been going on a huge scale.
It was as a part of this drive reportedly that on 28th of last month, Bhure Lal, the Chairman of Supreme Court Monitoring Committee for Sealing and Demolition, had inspected the area along with the officials of civic bodies and local administration. After his visit, the local MLA informed people in his constituency that on the 21st of this month demolition drive will start.
Communal politics over sealing
The main argument which Asif Mohammad Khan has presented before his constituency is that the proposed sealing and demolition of unauthorized constructions, is an “anti-Muslim conspiracy”. He has allegedly manipulated the proposed sealing and demolition drive to emotionally provoke people and play the Muslim card.
Terming it as discriminatory in nature, while talking to TwoCircles.net, Mr. Khan said; “Why the administration singles out the area every year for these kinds of disciplinary actions? Aren’t there any other area in Delhi with illegal constructions?”
He had termed the whole exercise by the Apex Court appointed Committee, as a conspiracy against Muslims, which the government comes up with every year just before the holy month of Ramzan.
“The whole thing is a conspiracy against Muslims. It’s a well chalked out plan to destroy Muslims’ peace of mind particularly before the month of Ramzan. Before every Ramzan the local administration tries to disturb the peace and harmony of this Muslim area. Last year they forced assembly by-election on the Muslims of Okhla. Before that year, they had orchestrated Batla House encounter. Before that year there was the incident of disrespect shown towards the Holy Quran which resulted in large scale violence and the burning of two police posts by the furious mob”, he said.
It is important to remember here that Mr. Khan, who is the younger brother of former Union minister, Arif Mohammad Khan, had been giving advertisements in Urdu newspapers calling the sealing drive as ‘anti-Muslim conspiracy’. This raised the emotional pitch of the entire community in the area, which in any way has been stereotyped in India as intolerant and extremist.
The advertisement in Roznama Sahara by Asif Mohammad Khan which termed the sealing drive as as conspiracy against Muslims
Poster which says Musalmano ki Rozi Roti se Khilwad Band Karo
Mr. Khan who has also been two times councilor from Okhla, is known for provoking the crowd emotionally. His critics accuse him of manipulating people’s emotions and then of encashing it politically.
Mohammad Niyaz, president of a local, Ideal Resident Welfare Association, Shaheen Bagh told this correspondent that “His brand of politics is defined in terms of provoking Muslim emotionally. This man had its own share in raising the anti-Government sentiment in public after the Batla House encounter. He politically encashed the Batla House encounter so much that he became MLA riding on the surge of public opinion in his favor.”
Common Muslim against communal card
Ayyaz Hassan is an engineer. His property will be affected if sealing drive is started but he is completely against Mr. Asif’s way of provoking Muslims and playing communal card.
Aiyaz Hasan
“I am completely against Asif Khan’s way at looking at things. Even though I will be affected by the sealing drive but it’s for the sake of larger good of our country and Muslims that I need to stand against people like him who misuse religion to fulfill their own selfish interests.”
Mr. Hassan further pointed out ‘If the leaders of the community will provoke people then who will control them? I think we need to talk in a much saner manner in order to solve things. Communal tone will only create more problems for the community which has already very few things to cheer about.”
Okhla divided in two camps
Muslims in Okhla are largely divided into two political camps. This issue is witness to this fact. The first and apparently bigger side, at least locally, is Asif Mohammad Khan’s group to which he has managed to attract a large chunk of the local Muslims, thanks to his emotional and provocative speeches. The other group is pro-Congress. Earlier it used to be led by Pervez Hashmi who used to be a former minister in Shiela Dixit government. Now two local leaders in this group are Councilors Shoaib Danish, and Jamaluddin. Otherwise it’s led by Sandeep Dixit. He is also strongly hated by Asif Mohammad Khan. The credit of creating a largely anti-Congress wave in the area goes to Mr. MLA.
After watching this mess one can only conclude, that the problems of Muslims in India are created by its leaders’ politics. The sealing crisis in the area might get solved soon but few more saner and matured voices are required to change the fabric of Muslim politics locally and nationally.