The illegal encroachment, an iron structure in front of a building, was manually removed by the people even as a JCB bulldozer stood by during the proposed demolition drive in the Shaheen Bagh area of the national capital on Monday. The locals said that the iron structure installed in front of the building was not an illegal encroachment. "It has been installed for the renovation of the building," said one of the local residents. As per latest reports, the process of demolition is yet to start. However the situation remains tense. Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan, who is also on the spot, was seen speaking to the officials. "Where is encroachment? I have myself removed all the encroachments 2-3 days back," MLA Khan said.
The MLA said that he had himself inspected the whole area and spoken to every official, including the traffic police. "I had myself with my own JCB removed a toilet that was illegally constructed outside a mosque. This is just vendetta politics. Just tell me where the encroachment is. If still there is an illegal structure. Tell me, I will myself remove it. I am the local MLA," Khan said. The Shaheen Bagh area of Delhi, in November 2019 to March 2020, became the epicentre of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests. Monday's demolition drive comes 19 days after a similar drive was conducted in the communal violence-hit Jahangirpuri area of the city. In that drive, several illegal structures, including cold drink booths and shops, were demolished.