NEW DELHI: A temple and a mazar were removed amid heavy police deployment in northeast Delhi’s Bhajanpura Chowk Sunday morning to pave the way for the construction of a flyover, police said. They said the decision to remove the two structures was taken at a “religious committee” meeting recently and a proper dialogue was held with residents and local leaders.
“Everything happened very peacefully,” DCP (Northeast) Joy Tirkey said after the structures were removed by the PWD amid heavy deployment of police. He said there was a Hanuman temple and a mazaar on the opposite sides of the road at Bhajanpura Chowk. A few days ago, a decision was taken at the “religious committee” that both structures would have to be removed to widen the road for the Saharanpur flyover.
“This was planned a few days ago. But the local leaders here had asked the civil administration for some time to prepare and make some necessary arrangements. Today (Sunday), we spoke to all of them and after having a proper dialogue with them, both the religious structures were removed from here with everyone’s cooperation. Even the devotees came here and performed their puja before the removal of the religious structure. The temple was removed by the priest himself,” he said.
Police said that adequate security forces have been deployed in the area to ensure the PWD is provided all the necessary assistance. Northeast Delhi is considered a communally sensitive area. It witnessed riots in 2020 in which over 50 people lost their lives and more than 250 were injured.
Meanwhile, Delhi Cabinet Minister Atishi tweeted about the demolition of the religious structures. “LG sir: A few days ago, I had written a letter requesting you to withdraw your decision to demolish temples and other religious places in Delhi. But today a temple in Bhajanpura was demolished again,” she said in a tweet.