Bansri Shah, Pune
Stones were pelted at a civic vehicle in Mumbai’s Dharavi amidst rising tensions over demolition of illegal constructions on the premises of the Mehboob E Subhani Mosque on the 90 ft road. This led the police to deploy forces and enforce a bandobast.
The tensions have persisted since Saturday as people of Dharavi gathered on the streets to protest against the decision made by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). As vehicles from the civic body arrived at the mosque to tear down the unauthorized structures, the roads were blocked by the residents of the area. It was when BMC officials granted the mosque trustees five days to voluntarily remove the encroachments was the situation contained. Despite the situation having calmed down, police forces have still been deployed in the area.
Even though a prior eviction notice had been sent to the mosque trustees, the current developments and the request for extension has led the eviction to be postponed until the 26th of September.
Demolition work of these structures has been initiated twice this year itself by the G-North Ward of BMC but for both the times, the action was stopped at the last minute. The action in January was halted due to orders from higher authorities.
The action has gained a lot of attention from politicians as well as political activists who are questioning its validity. With the Dharavi Redevelopment Project in play, the activists claim that the municipal corporation has no standing to demolish the structure since it has also acquired a photo pass. This pass acts as a certificate and an identity card issued by the Maharashtra government to slum dwellers to prove their residence in the slum before January 1, 2001.
The decision of the demolition of the encroachments has created a political stir. Many have claimed this to be a ploy for the government to sow communal discontent amongst the masses.
The Member of Parliament (MP) from the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) (NCP (SP)), Supriya Sule, stated, “It has become a pattern. Their [BJP] members speak against the Constitution, against communities… it leads to a communal divide…”.
Allegations similar to these have been made by Aaditya Thackeray, Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders, as well as Yuva Seva president. The Adani group, who is set to take charge of the redevelopment project, is yet to comment on this.