Anti-encroachment drive at Delhi's Turkman Gate stirs memories from Emergency-era

New Delhi, Jan 6 (PTI) A court-ordered anti-encroachment drive triggered clashes in Delhi's Turkman gate area, reopening five-decades old wounds of locals.

In 1976, witnessed their homes being razed and forced sterilisation drives carried out in the name of progress. For many, Wednesday's demolition drive has led to them losing their community spaces.

Shahid Gagori, who said his family has lived in the area for 67 years, recalled how his father was jailed during the Emergency for opposing the demolition of homes at Turkman Gate.

“Our houses were razed during the Emergency. My father protested against it and was arrested,” Gagori told PTI.

He said the structures demolished this week stood on land that once housed a graveyard.

“The graveyard had already been closed before the Emergency, as it had reached capacity. During the Emergency, the land was cleared and became an open field,” he said, adding that a banquet hall and a diagnostic centre that later came up there were viewed by residents as community spaces.

“We gathered there during Roza and celebrated various occasions. The diagnostic centre was charitable and provided treatment at lower costs,” he said.

On Wednesday, at least five police personnel were injured when the demolition drive near the Syed Faiz Elahi Mosque and an adjoining graveyard turned violent.

Officials said the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was carrying out the exercise following directions of the Delhi High Court.

The walled city area, once known as Shahjahanabad during the Mughal period, houses the historic Turkman Gate, named after Shah Turkman, whose tomb is located nearby. The locality also has several known and lesser-known tombs, graveyards and heritage structures, including Fatak Haveli of Nawab Muzaffar Khan.

Raghubir Seth, 80, who lived near Turkman Gate during the 1970s and early 1980s, said that while the mosque has existed for decades, many surrounding constructions appeared relatively recent.

“I lived there till 1984. We recognise the mosque, but not the structures around it. These seem to have come up much later,” Seth said Historians and residents recall that what began as a sterilisation drive during the Emergency in 1976 escalated into mass evictions and violence at Turkman Gate.

Kamla Jacobs, 85, who lived near the area at the time, said the situation had spiralled rapidly.

“It turned violent within days. There was a riot-like situation for almost two days. You could see police chasing people on the roads,” she recalled.

Another resident, 62-year-old Abdul Rahman, said the recent incident revived long-standing fears.

“People here still remember 1976. Many families were uprooted overnight. Even today, there is fear that history might repeat itself,” he said.

However, some former residents disputed claims that all demolished structures were old.

Delhi Police said teargas shells were used after some people allegedly resorted to stone pelting.

"The situation was brought under control using measured force, and normalcy was restored shortly thereafter," police said. PTI VBH SHB SHB OZ OZ