“No notice no information. I asked the police they said nothing will happen. Then they suddenly bulldozed my shop.”
Never in his life did 52-year-old Raman Jha think that life would take this turn. He is standing near his paan shop, mulling over what took place on April 20, 2022, after the communal violence occurred in his area during the Hanuman Jayanti procession which was held only four days ago.
Though for Raman, an anti-encroachment drive was not new, as he had been living in the Jahangirpuri’s C block since 1984. But he had never seen so many bulldozers roaming around, media clamor and police personnel cordoning the area.
He believed that this was being done under some planning to distort the harmony of the area.
52-year-old Raman ran a small paan shop (Gumti), which was also his sole source of earning and helped him bring in between Rs 5,000 – 6,000 per month. Besides, he also performed puja-recitations at homes, when his business had come to a halt during the lockdown.
He recalls at about 11:30, he received a phone call from his brother who informed him about the demolition being carried out in his area since early in the morning. Both, he and his wife did not waste any time and hurriedly made their way to the shop.
When the number of MCD officials and police officers increased in the area, he asked them, “If his shop will be demolished?” The MCD officials assured him that his shop was safe, and not in danger, but as soon as the bulldozer arrived in his lane, his shop was the first to be demolished. He claimed to be the owner of a licensed shop.
Raman was troubled after the demolition of his small paan shop. The shop was completely broken. His goods had been damaged and the worry of how the shop will be set up again was bothering him when Miles2Smile learnt about his loss. We supported Raman Jha with a sum of Rs 75,000 to rebuild his paan shop and were able to bring a smile back on his face.
