“Residents of the slum in west Delhi’s Shakur Basti have alleged that their homes were demolished without any warning or notice, leaving hundreds of them exposed to biting cold”, NDTV reported.
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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the area on late Saturday night.
Joint commissioner of police (southwest) Dependra Pathak said that prima facie it appears the baby was smothered under a pile of clothes.
Railways today said that the death of a child in Shakurbasti had nothing do with its encroachment drive in the slum cluster for which adequate notices were given to the locals.
He said the National Green Tribunal had also ordered that the tracks should be cleared of solid waste and to ensure this the railways had to “remove the source”.
He said that a final notice was send to the encroachers for vacating the land on December 12 after the police confirmed their support for 12 Dec 15. However, the demolition could not be undertaken then because police could not provide assistance then, Arora said. He said that the operation for removal if encroachments was peaceful and in the knowledge of DUSUB officials.
Railway officials said they conducted the “anti-encroachment” drive to create land for a new passenger terminal.
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The Delhi CM criticised the railways for not providing slum-dwellers food and shelter despite a sharp drop in temperature, after reports of a baby’s death surfaced. Whoever are the officers who have done this, I don’t think they are human beings…
