Encroachment drive near shrine in Delhi passes off peacefully
NEW DELHI: The authorities conducted an “encroachment removal” action at the site of an old ‘dargah’ located beside a prominent street near the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin in south Delhi on Saturday amid heavy security deployment, police said.
The dargah of Syed Abdullah urf Bhure Shah, located on a plot near the Sabz Burj -- a 16thcentury double-domed Mughalera monument, is “centuries-old” and the saint is revered by people from both Muslim and Hindu communities, said Yusuf Beg, caretaker of the dargah.
A posse of police and paramilitary personnel was deployed when the action was carried out by the authorities at the site facing the busy Zakir Husain Marg. Beg said that they themselves removed the steel grills canopy and steel barriers placed next to the graves to prevent any damage.
“A drive to remove encroachment on the pavement was carried out by the PWD. Adequate security personnel deployment was made,” a senior police officer said. As the dargah is located in the sensitive Nizamuddin area, paramilitary personnel were also on standby and one of them carried a tear gas shell box as well. “We have been told to ensure law and order is maintained,” paramilitary personnel on duty said. The officials of the Delhi PWD could not be immediately reached for comments.