Following news reports of 01 and 02.01.2005 about
meetings, etc, among the Imams, Shoaib Iqbal and
Sheila Dikshit about demolition by DDA of one mosque
near Pushta there is a report today about LG assuring
them, in their meeting yesterday for an amicable
solution, enquiry to see if there has been any
disrespect of religious objects while demolishing 22
temples and 24 mosques in Pushta on Friday in
compliance of High Court order of 03.03.2003.
The demolition occurred on Wednesday 29/12/2004 (not
Friday) and about 20 (not one or 22+24) structures
were demolished. The high-handed action, started
before daybreak without notice, undoubtedly involved
disrespect of religious objects (damaged and buried
evidences are on display for any visitor). More
significantly it, and what followed it, involved
disrespect of faith and secular sentiment of both
communities in Pushta as well as of Art.14 of the
Constitution of India and several judicial and
statutory processes.
The new year news reports about the latest on the
riverbed are at the end of this post. MPISG letters
dispatched to LG of 29/12/2004 and today (with
reference to others about this inter-connected anomie
on the riverbed will be posted on AZ Plan - riverbed
section of MPISG current engagements - as soon as
possible. Photographs of 15 sites (9 temples and 6
mosques) that their pandits and maulvis together
helped us photograph yesterday, of the same area in
May 2004 with the structures standing on the debris of
Pushta homes with Shastri Park Metro Depot (where the
admittedly illegal yet celebrated IT Park is under
construction since November 2003 in clear contempt of
court, besides development and environment law)
beyond, of MCD-ActionAid Night Shelter in porta-cabins
that replaced, in identical contempt and violations,
tents in MCD school after its students were packed off
to Bawana and where some documentation filming of some
chosen homeless was going on yesterday regardless of
homelessness inflicted on the sheltered and
night-sheltered right next to it, of surviving
Police-Chowki shrine, etc, and (as topical aside) of
Tsunami relief in religious structures elsewhere are
in one large photo-album at:
http://plan.architexturez.net/site/mpisg/riverbed/prs
If this bothers, do mail; it bothers us ? very much.
MPISG Planner
----
Pioneer, 03.01.2005:
Demolition of religious structures to be probed: L-G
Staff Reporter/ New Delhi
Lieutenant-governor BL Joshi on Sunday assured that an
enquiry would be held into the removal of religious
structures at the Yamuna Pushta. Expressing concern
over the manner in which the demolition of religious
structures carried out at Yamuna Pushta, L-G Joshi
said an enquiry would be held immediately if any
disrespect was shown to any religious objects while
clearing the structures.
Earlier, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Deputy
Speaker of Delhi Legislative Assembly Shoaib Iqbal and
a delegation of Muslim Ulema, met L-G in the morning
to seek an amicable solution to the recent removal of
religious structures at Yamuna Pushta by the Delhi
Development Authority (DDA).
Chief Secretary S Reghunathan was also present at the
meeting. Sources in the government said that Ms
Dikshit also expressed her anguish as her government
was not informed by the authority in this regard and
her government was kept in dark.
It is learnt that L-G has clarified that the
demolition was carried out due to the Delhi High Court
order to clear the embankment of river Yamuna. In this
process, the government relocated those living on the
banks of river Yamuna. According to Mr Iqbal, the area
comes under his constituency and it was his duty to
draw the attention of Chief Minister and
Lieutenant-Governor in this regard. He said about 22
temples and 24 mosques were demolished by the DDA on
Friday. On Friday evening, Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid
also met Ms Dikshit and drew her attention on this
issue
----
Asian Age, 02.01.2005:
CM and L-G will discuss Pushta mosque demolition
- By Our Correspondent
New Delhi, Jan. 1: Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit
along with the Delhi deputy Speaker Shoaib Iqbal will
be meet lieutenant-governor B.L. Joshi on Sunday to
seek an amicable solution to the recent demolition of
a mosque near Yamuna Pushta by the Delhi Development
Authority. The mosque was located in the Jama Masjid
assembly constituency which is represented by Mr
Iqbal. A three time MLA from the area Mr Iqbal met Ms
Dikshit on Friday and expressed concern.
On Saturday, he along with the Naib Imam of Fatehpuri
Masjid Maulana Muhammad Muazzam Ahmed and members of
the Muslim Personal Law Board (MPLB) Mr Kamal Farooqui
and Maulana Abdul Wahab Khilji met the chief minister
again. The meeting was attended by the Delhi chief
secretary S. Regunathan, home secretary R. Narainswamy
and the DDA vice chairman Madhukar Gupta. They took
stock of the entire situation and the circumstances
that led to the demolition. They too will join in for
the meeting with the Lt. governor on Sunday.
The Delhi government reiterated its position in the
slew of meetings with the Muslim leaders on Saturday
that it was unaware of the developments and DDA had
not informed the government of its activity.
Apparently aware of the goof up, the chief minister in
no mood to let anybody draw political mileage out of
the issue and stake amity, the sources said
----
Asian Age, 01.01.2005:
Drama as Bukhari stopped at CM office
- By Our Correspondent
New Delhi, Dec. 31: The Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid,
Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari, met Delhi chief minister
Sheila Dikshit on Friday and expressed his resentment
over the recent demolition of a mosque near Yamuna
Pushta by the Delhi Development Authority. He told the
CM that he would decide his further course of action
after meeting her again on Saturday.
Earlier, when he tried to enter the Delhi Secretariat
along with his supporters, he was stopped by security
personnel. He then refused to meet the chief minister
in her office even after repeated requests by the
latter. Finally, chief minister Sheila Dikshit herself
came down and met the Shahi Imam.
Prior to this, Mr Shoaib Iqbal, deputy speaker of the
Delhi Assembly, had already objected to the demolition
of the mosque by the DDA. He had prevented the
demolition of the same mosque on two earlier
occasions, when the DDA was on a demolition drive.
Addressing a joint press conference with Nationalist
Congress Party MLA Ramveer Singh Bidhuri on Thursday,
Mr Iqbal said, "The way DDA officials demolished the
mosque, it will create a law and problem in the area.
I had written several letters to the
lieutenant-governor in this regard. The stand of chief
minister Sheila Dikshit and Delhi urban development
minister A.K. Walia has been very positive in this
regard. It was in the absence of the chief minister
that DDA officials demolished the mosque." The Central
government must take immediate steps as the DDA comes
under it, he added. Echoing this, Mr Bidhuri said, "It
will definitely create law and order problems in the
city. DDA should have consulted the area MLA and MP
before carrying out the drive."
__________________________________
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meetings, etc, among the Imams, Shoaib Iqbal and
Sheila Dikshit about demolition by DDA of one mosque
near Pushta there is a report today about LG assuring
them, in their meeting yesterday for an amicable
solution, enquiry to see if there has been any
disrespect of religious objects while demolishing 22
temples and 24 mosques in Pushta on Friday in
compliance of High Court order of 03.03.2003.
The demolition occurred on Wednesday 29/12/2004 (not
Friday) and about 20 (not one or 22+24) structures
were demolished. The high-handed action, started
before daybreak without notice, undoubtedly involved
disrespect of religious objects (damaged and buried
evidences are on display for any visitor). More
significantly it, and what followed it, involved
disrespect of faith and secular sentiment of both
communities in Pushta as well as of Art.14 of the
Constitution of India and several judicial and
statutory processes.
The new year news reports about the latest on the
riverbed are at the end of this post. MPISG letters
dispatched to LG of 29/12/2004 and today (with
reference to others about this inter-connected anomie
on the riverbed will be posted on AZ Plan - riverbed
section of MPISG current engagements - as soon as
possible. Photographs of 15 sites (9 temples and 6
mosques) that their pandits and maulvis together
helped us photograph yesterday, of the same area in
May 2004 with the structures standing on the debris of
Pushta homes with Shastri Park Metro Depot (where the
admittedly illegal yet celebrated IT Park is under
construction since November 2003 in clear contempt of
court, besides development and environment law)
beyond, of MCD-ActionAid Night Shelter in porta-cabins
that replaced, in identical contempt and violations,
tents in MCD school after its students were packed off
to Bawana and where some documentation filming of some
chosen homeless was going on yesterday regardless of
homelessness inflicted on the sheltered and
night-sheltered right next to it, of surviving
Police-Chowki shrine, etc, and (as topical aside) of
Tsunami relief in religious structures elsewhere are
in one large photo-album at:
http://plan.architexturez.net/site/mpisg/riverbed/prs
If this bothers, do mail; it bothers us ? very much.
MPISG Planner
----
Pioneer, 03.01.2005:
Demolition of religious structures to be probed: L-G
Staff Reporter/ New Delhi
Lieutenant-governor BL Joshi on Sunday assured that an
enquiry would be held into the removal of religious
structures at the Yamuna Pushta. Expressing concern
over the manner in which the demolition of religious
structures carried out at Yamuna Pushta, L-G Joshi
said an enquiry would be held immediately if any
disrespect was shown to any religious objects while
clearing the structures.
Earlier, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Deputy
Speaker of Delhi Legislative Assembly Shoaib Iqbal and
a delegation of Muslim Ulema, met L-G in the morning
to seek an amicable solution to the recent removal of
religious structures at Yamuna Pushta by the Delhi
Development Authority (DDA).
Chief Secretary S Reghunathan was also present at the
meeting. Sources in the government said that Ms
Dikshit also expressed her anguish as her government
was not informed by the authority in this regard and
her government was kept in dark.
It is learnt that L-G has clarified that the
demolition was carried out due to the Delhi High Court
order to clear the embankment of river Yamuna. In this
process, the government relocated those living on the
banks of river Yamuna. According to Mr Iqbal, the area
comes under his constituency and it was his duty to
draw the attention of Chief Minister and
Lieutenant-Governor in this regard. He said about 22
temples and 24 mosques were demolished by the DDA on
Friday. On Friday evening, Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid
also met Ms Dikshit and drew her attention on this
issue
----
Asian Age, 02.01.2005:
CM and L-G will discuss Pushta mosque demolition
- By Our Correspondent
New Delhi, Jan. 1: Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit
along with the Delhi deputy Speaker Shoaib Iqbal will
be meet lieutenant-governor B.L. Joshi on Sunday to
seek an amicable solution to the recent demolition of
a mosque near Yamuna Pushta by the Delhi Development
Authority. The mosque was located in the Jama Masjid
assembly constituency which is represented by Mr
Iqbal. A three time MLA from the area Mr Iqbal met Ms
Dikshit on Friday and expressed concern.
On Saturday, he along with the Naib Imam of Fatehpuri
Masjid Maulana Muhammad Muazzam Ahmed and members of
the Muslim Personal Law Board (MPLB) Mr Kamal Farooqui
and Maulana Abdul Wahab Khilji met the chief minister
again. The meeting was attended by the Delhi chief
secretary S. Regunathan, home secretary R. Narainswamy
and the DDA vice chairman Madhukar Gupta. They took
stock of the entire situation and the circumstances
that led to the demolition. They too will join in for
the meeting with the Lt. governor on Sunday.
The Delhi government reiterated its position in the
slew of meetings with the Muslim leaders on Saturday
that it was unaware of the developments and DDA had
not informed the government of its activity.
Apparently aware of the goof up, the chief minister in
no mood to let anybody draw political mileage out of
the issue and stake amity, the sources said
----
Asian Age, 01.01.2005:
Drama as Bukhari stopped at CM office
- By Our Correspondent
New Delhi, Dec. 31: The Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid,
Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari, met Delhi chief minister
Sheila Dikshit on Friday and expressed his resentment
over the recent demolition of a mosque near Yamuna
Pushta by the Delhi Development Authority. He told the
CM that he would decide his further course of action
after meeting her again on Saturday.
Earlier, when he tried to enter the Delhi Secretariat
along with his supporters, he was stopped by security
personnel. He then refused to meet the chief minister
in her office even after repeated requests by the
latter. Finally, chief minister Sheila Dikshit herself
came down and met the Shahi Imam.
Prior to this, Mr Shoaib Iqbal, deputy speaker of the
Delhi Assembly, had already objected to the demolition
of the mosque by the DDA. He had prevented the
demolition of the same mosque on two earlier
occasions, when the DDA was on a demolition drive.
Addressing a joint press conference with Nationalist
Congress Party MLA Ramveer Singh Bidhuri on Thursday,
Mr Iqbal said, "The way DDA officials demolished the
mosque, it will create a law and problem in the area.
I had written several letters to the
lieutenant-governor in this regard. The stand of chief
minister Sheila Dikshit and Delhi urban development
minister A.K. Walia has been very positive in this
regard. It was in the absence of the chief minister
that DDA officials demolished the mosque." The Central
government must take immediate steps as the DDA comes
under it, he added. Echoing this, Mr Bidhuri said, "It
will definitely create law and order problems in the
city. DDA should have consulted the area MLA and MP
before carrying out the drive."
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - Find what you need with new enhanced search.
http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250