BJP MLA razes structure in Delhi's Pitampura, calls it site of ‘illegal madrasa’

Locals and officials said that the partially-constructed walls —around 4-5 feet in length —had come up in the last two months on what is disputed land.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Karnail Singh, along with a group of people, on Thursday demolished what he claimed were the boundary walls of an under-construction madrasa near a mosque at the Ramlila Ground in outer Delhi’s Pitampura, alleging that they had been built illegally on Delhi Development Authority (DDA) land.

MLA Karnail Singh at the site in Shakur Basti on Friday. (ANI)

Despite Singh’s claims, police said there was no madrasa on the property. The committee that runs the mosque 100m away from the wall said they did not want to comment on the matter since the structure was not on their land.

Locals and officials said that the partially-constructed walls —around 4-5 feet in length —had come up in the last two months on what is disputed land and it was not immediately clear who built them.

There was also no confirmation if a madrasa was indeed coming on the land.

Speaking to HT, Singh, the MLA from the Shakur Basti Assembly constituency in the area, said he was not worried about any legal action since the structure was illegal. “I believe in Sanatan Dharma and will not let any illegal madarsa be built in our area. I had waited for the authorities to act for four months, but when they didn’t, we had to take matters into our own hands. I take responsibility and am not scared of any repercussions.”

“I have documents showing the land is with DDA only. How can anyone start building an illegal madrasa? I have no problem with the mosque. People can do whatever they want but I will take action against illegal structures.”

DCP (outer) Vikram Singh said, “As per our enquiry, the land is under DDA and the property is disputed. We have written to DDA around three or four times to clarify if it’s still under them, or with a private person or religion organisation. There was no madrasa. It was only a boundary wall.”

The DDA confirmed that the land belongs to the agency, adding that it had been encroached upon. However, since there is an ongoing land dispute, no directions had been given to demolish the structure.

No DDA officials on site during the incident, agency officials said. Delhi Police were also not informed, said a senior police official.

Since none of the owners have come forward with a complaint, no action has been taken. “It’s just a private property whose ownership is under dispute in the high court. So, we are still waiting for DDA reply and will then approach the owners,” said the DCP.

One of the owners of the land refused to comment on the matter. Locals said the other owner, who lives nearby, was not in the area at the time of the incident.

According to photos and videos of the incident, shared by Singh on Facebook, he reached the spot along with dozens of people around 11am.

In the videos, they can be heard chanting “Jai Shree Ram” and other religious slogans. Singh then takes an axe and begins hitting the boundary walls. At least 80-100 were present at the spot, according to locals.

Police said they reached the site at soon after they received information from locals. The DCP said, “The police provided security to all persons there. The ones who were breaking down the wall were also removed after some time.”

Later, a spot check found that the walls had been fully demolished. To be sure, the nearby mosque had not been touched.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one member of the mosque committee said, “They scolded us and held a protest. Before we could explain to them that we are also not involved in the madrasa, they demolished all the walls. They also threatened us in front of the police. Nobody said anything here. We just want peace. We escorted everyone out and the police helped us by giving us security. Nobody was hurt and they did what they wanted to do.”

The member added that the mosque has been in place for over five years. “Even if the madrasa is illegal, what was the need to demolish it? They could have just sent a notice.”

Residents expressed differing views. Kiranpal Singh, a resident of Shakur Basti, said the land earlier had jhuggis that were removed by DDA around seven years ago and that the ownership dispute was pending in court.

Samarth Yadav, a resident of Saraswati Vihar, supported the MLA’s action, alleging unauthorised religious construction in the area.

Another resident, Neha Singh from Sharda Niketan, said locals had earlier complained to DDA and police regarding alleged illegal construction and raised concerns over crowding near the mosque.

The CM office and BJP Delhi did not comment on the issue.