New Delhi: In an early morning drive, two religious structures at Delhi’s Bhajanpura Chowk area were demolished on Sunday.
This included a temple and a Mazar, and the demolition action was meant to pave the way for a proposed road widening project, officials said.
A team of the Public Works Department (PWD) department reached the area along with security forces and started the removal drive at around 06.00 am. A heavy police force was deployed in the area to prevent any untoward incident.
Officials said that the demolition action is being taken up to further widen the road for Saharanpur Highway. “A decision was taken by the Religious Committee of Delhi to remove a Hanuman Temple and a Mazar to further widen the road for Saharanpur Highway. Both structures are removed peacefully,” DCP Northeast Joy N Tirkey said.
Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Atishi has hit out at the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, and demanded to stop the action.
“LG Sahab: A few days ago, I write a letter to you requesting to withdraw the decision to demolish the temples and other religious structures in Delhi. But today, again a temple was demolished in the Bhajanpura area on your order,” Atishi said in a tweet.
LG साहब: मैंने कुछ दिनों पहले आपसे पत्र लिख कर अनुरोध किया था कि दिल्ली में मंदिरों एवं अन्य धार्मिक स्थलों को तोड़ने का जो आपका निर्णय, वो आप वापस ले लें। परंतु आज फिर से आपके आदेश पर भजनपुरा में एक मंदिर तोड़ दिया गया है।
मेरा आपसे पुनः निवेदन है की दिल्ली में मंदिरों एवं अन्य… https://t.co/eNmdXY5DGN
— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) July 2, 2023
She further ‘requested’ the Delhi LG not to demolish the religious structures as they are associated with people’s faith.
Last week, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) removed illegal construction outside the Shani temple in the Mandawali area.