Shakur Basti demolition: Officials involved are animals, says Kejriwal

New Delhi: Coming down heavily on the demolition of Shakur Basti jhuggies, Delhi Chief Minister lambasted the callousness of the officials and said salaries of the officials must be deducted for compensating the victims of the incident.

"These officials are not humans. They are animals," remarked Kejriwal. The demolition drive by the Railways allegedly resulted in the death of a six-month-old baby. This complete lack of empathy compelled Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi chief minister, to question the insensitivity of the Railway officials.

However, the Railways denied the allegations saying the death took place before this demolition drive began.

The Railways stood firm on their decision to raze the slum claiming that these were 'fresh' encroachers who had illegally occupied the land.

However, the slum dwellers, countering the Railways claims, posed for a picture with their voter ID cards, which had Shakurbasti Basti registered as their address.

Their claim was validated by Satyender Jain, the Home Minister of Delhi, saying "even during Commonwealth Games, these jhuggis were not demolished. So what was the urgency now?"

He further alleged that the Railways did not pay heed to the Special Provision Act of the parliament which strictly limits reclamation of land to times of urgency.

"There is no national emergency like situation. I am sure even after six months, Railways will not start work," Satyendra Jain said.

Kejriwal further said that, as a way of punishment, the cost incurred by the slum dwellers due to the demolition should be deducted from the salaries of the erring Railway officials.

"It will be deducted from the salaries of the officers who have conducted these raids," he said.

He also highlighted, in a tweet, the prejudice of the railways against the poor.

"There are court orders to raze properties of some rich and politicians in Delhi. Those orders are never implemented" he tweeted.

Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) shunned their responsibility saying that they had no information of the planned demolition. Citing a previous occasion, the DUSIB highlighted how the Railways paid insufficiently to rehabilitate those whose homes had been razed.

(With inputs from agencies)

(Picture courtesy:www.thehindu.com)