At Jahangirpuri
The bulldozer, once a lifeless object, has metamorphosed itself into a living giant, thanks to the key party in power. The current state of the dwellers of Delhi’s Jahangirpuri is testimony to the panic it causes. Under the pretext of carrying out an eviction drive, the bolstered bulldozer now flattens livelihoods. There is hope that the Supreme Court’s intervention will make the authorities not carry out inhumane and politically motivated acts. The Court’s observation, “Do you need bulldozers to clear stalls, chairs, tables and boxes?” should sting those responsible for such drives.
Satyanarayana Padhee,
Bargarh, Odisha
Everybody, including those who initiated the demolition drive in Jahangirpuri, knows that the demolition has nothing to do with ‘encroachment’. If encroachment is the real issue, Jahangirpuri cannot be the ideal place to start the demolition. Bulldozing the helpless is not a new phenomenon in Delhi. In the same month, in April 1976, citizens of Turkman Gate faced bulldozers.
John Dayal and Ajoy Bose write in their book, For Reasons of State: Delhi Under the Emergency: “The 16 bulldozers kept on moving. They did not stop that night, nor the next day or night. In fact the bulldozers worked round the clock till April 22, till they had decimated all signs of life as well as death in Turkman Gate....”
As Arundhati Roy says in the Sissy Farenthold lecture she delivered at the University of Texas at Austin on April 19, “While India exhibits all the trappings of an electoral democracy — a constitution that calls us a secular, socialist republic, free and fair elections, a parliament run by a democratically elected ruling party and opposition, an independent judiciary and a free media — in truth this state machinery... is being, if not outright taken over....”
Sukumaran C.V.,
Palakkad, Kerala
As students we have been taught that the judiciary is most powerful, but Delhi’s Jahangirpuri incident is shocking. It is one of the most unfortunate instances in the history of the Indian judiciary where the top court had to intervene twice to maintain the status quo. One hopes that the Supreme Court of India effects severe punishment for the violation of its orders.
Pushpender Yadav,
Shahjanpur, Uttar Pradesh
At a time when our elected representatives, who are supposed to provide succour to the people, end up giving their tacit approval to ‘evict’ and demolish houses and shops in the name of ending so-called unauthorised constructions, the top court has sent out a clear signal that it is present and performing its constitutional duty. Hail the verdict of the Supreme Court of India.
Prabhu Raj R.,
Bengaluru
The officials who had persisted with the anti-encroachment drive by defying the orders of the highest court of the land must be taken to task and punished. That said, one cannot overlook the dangers associated with “brutish bulldozer” politics being resorted to with impunity and damaging the fragile communal fabric of the country. That ‘illegal encroachment’ has now become a pretext to act against some does not augur well for communal amity. Due process must be followed in all such cases.
M. Jeyaram,
Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu
A PM’s suggestion
Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s strong suggestion, that “it is important for India to adopt a strategic economic self-interest doctrine within the larger paradigm of its non-aligned foreign policy”, will be shared by all right-thinking people (Editorial page, April 22). However, several conflicts within the country point the needle in the opposite direction. The current leader seems oblivious to the ground realities.
E.P. Menon,
Bengaluru
Finisher Dhoni
Over the years, M.S. Dhoni has devised an infallible yet simple formula of disparaging his critics, viz. “focus and perform”. By finishing a nail biter and a high pressure contest against the Mumbai Indians, the former CSK captain has shown why he is among the top picks of the franchise even in the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (‘Sport’ page, April 22). The newly appointed skipper needs to carry on this legacy.
Tushar Anand,
Patna, Bihar
