On the morning of October 30, residents of Kathputli Colony in West Delhi were in for a rude shock. Eight bulldozers, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials and police were ready to demolish their homes. Now, one group of residents have been forced to live under the Shadipur flyover and the pavements nearby, while another has moved to the transit camp at Anand Parbat, nearly 2 km from the colony.

Three days after the DDA demolition, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressed the residents of the colony and explained that neither the DDA nor Delhi Police was under his government. However, he assured the residents that he would take the matter to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to stop the eviction. “Houses have been demolished in such a manner that has rendered people homeless. They have lost all their belongings. I will request the LG to stop this,” he told the residents who gathered with placards and banners.

This is not new for the residents of Kathputli Colony. The first demolition drive took place in 2014, and has been happening before the onset of winter. However, last year, the residents were notified about the eviction drive. “They did not even notify us, they came and razed our houses without even letting us get out,” said Pooja, a resident of the colony for over 60 years. “They fired teargas shells, it is still causing irritation in my eyes. A two-year-old kid died because of teargas firing,” claimed Madhuri, another resident, who makes puppets for a living.

The demolition drive is part of a redevelopment plan between DDA and Raheja Developers back in 2009. The plan is to convert the unauthorised slum dwelling into Economically Weaker Section houses. Raheja Developers would, in lieu, get an area of about 20,000 square metres.

Residents, however, have little or no trust in the promises made by the DDA. They feel they might lose their land despite having all requisite documents to prove ownership of the houses because of this project. They don’t wish to move elsewhere. “If we have lived here, we wish to die here. Our livelihood is dependent on this place,” Pooja said.

But not all residents are complaining. There is a clear divide with some wanting to relocate to the designated area provided to them by the DDA in Narela, nearly 34 km away from Kathputli Colony. When I went to the nearby camp where the list of residents, who have been allotted houses, was on display, I was heckled by a group of women. “Kya karne aaiyee ho? Kal bhi bhasad machi thi, tum bhi thi, firse kya aagayi? (What have you come here for? Yesterday also there was a chaos, why have you come here again),” they said.

Even as I clarified that it was my first visit, they began to push me out. I protested the heckling and asked them to leave me as I was going back to the village. The women stopped me again, and pushed me around, asking me to get out of the village. Fortunately, most of my groundwork was done by then, so I apologised and chose to move on.

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