Delhi Glitters With Tears From Tughlaqabad Village

The protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi (All photos: Empire Diaries)

Empire Diaries Team

February 7, 2023: It is an irony that people who help build and run modern-day societies are often told to pack their bags and leave when they’re no longer needed. ‘Thank you for building this wonderful empire – you can now go’ – that’s the way the Big City often deals with low-pay earners who work and stay there.

It’s the same story with the people living in a huge settlement in the Tughlaqabad Fort area of southern Delhi. On February 4, 2023, when Delhi was engrossed with the build-up to the mayor’s election, dozens of distressed residents from the Tughlaqabad village area descended upon Jantar Mantar in the heart of the capital and protested over an eviction order sent to them by the ASI (Archaelogical Survey of India) last month. Their fault? Encroachment.

But the same people have been residing there for years. They have valid documents, routinely pay their bills, and service the neighbouring localities as wage labourers, cleaners, construction workers, domestic help, security guards, etc. Yet, they now face the prospect of being evicted from their homes, while their houses are likely to be demolished.

Led by Nirmal Gorana, the activism group Mazdoor Awas Sangharsh Samiti is trying to stand by about 1,000 families who received the ASI’s eviction notice, providing legal support, and trying to help them get rehabilitated honourably. Empire Diaries brings you some freeze frames from the protest at Jantar Mantar.

Protesters shout slogans at the demonstration
A banner mentioning the activism group Mazdoor Awas Sangharsh Samiti
Activist Nirmal Gorana (centre) at the protest site
The demonstration at Jantar Mantar witnessed banners with powerful messages
Most of the protesters were women
The people who face eviction mostly work as daily labourers, domestic help, cleaners, and guards
About 1,000 families in Tughlaqabad village received the ASI’s eviction notice
The residents are aghast at not being offered formal rehabilitation, and are now fighting for it
The residents of Tughlaqabad village have proper documents and pay their bills
Halla bol, halla bol – Protest chants and music turned the demonstration lively and energetic
The protesters are calling for rehabilitation before eviction
Women from all age groups attended the demonstration
The distressed residents made their presence felt at the protest site
Eviction notices and demolition drives in Delhi are increasingly becoming a common feature
She’s ready to fight tooth and nail
The residents of Tughlaqabad have been spending sleepless nights since receiving the ASI’s eviction order on January 11, 2023

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