The South Delhi Municipal Corporation lodged a complaint with the police against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Aamanatullah Khan and his supporters for obstructing the civic body's anti-encroachment drive in Shaheen Bagh on Monday, hours after state BJP chief Adesh Gupta asked the SDMC mayor to do so.

In a complaint to the station house officer (SHO) of Shaheen Bagh, SDMC's Central Zone licensing inspector said that an encroachment removal drive was fixed for Monday on the main road in Shaheen Bagh and its staff and police personnel were present at the site for carrying out the action.

"MLA Amanatullah Khan (Okhla) along with his supporters present did not allow the field staff of the SDMC zone to remove the encroachment. In view of the above, you are requested to take appropriate legal action against Amanatullah Khan and his supporters for interfering in discharge of official duties by public servants," according to the complaint.

The action came after SDMC Mayor Mukesh Suryan wrote to the municipal commissioner to lodge an FIR against AAP MLA Khan and other leaders for obstructing the anti-encroachment drive.

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The civic body has planned an encroachment removal action in Shaheen Bagh but protests erupted as soon as the authorities reached there with bulldozers. They had to return from Shaheen Bagh without executing the exercise.

In his letter to Municipal Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti, Suryan said that Delhi BJP chief Gupta apprised him that some political leaders obstructed the pre-planned anti-encroachment drive in Shaheen Bagh.

"It has come to my notice that local area MLA Amanatullah Khan and councillor Abdul Wazid Khan have obstructed the government action. Hence, it is requested to you to please take cognizance of the issue and take appropriate action in accordance with the law and register an FIR against persons related with the matter," Suryan wrote.

Delhi BJP Chief Gupta also wrote a letter to the Delhi Police Commissioner and demanded that an FIR be registered against the AAP and Congress leaders who obstructed the SDMC's anti-encroachment drive in Shaheen Bagh.

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In his letter to the Police Commissioner, Gupta said some AAP leaders, including party MLA and councillor, and the Congress disrupted the drive by "lying in front of bulldozers". "So, it is requested to take action in accordance with the law and register a case against those responsible for obstructing the government (civic body) work," Gupta said in the letter.

Protests erupted at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh on Monday with hundreds of people, including women, opposing an anti-encroachment drive of the SDMC as bulldozers rolled into the area in the presence of a huge number of police personnel, even as the civic body team was forced to return without carrying out the exercise.

The protesters raised slogans against the BJP-ruled SDMC as well as the Centre and demanded that the action be stopped. Some of the women protesters even stood in front of the bulldozers to prevent the exercise.

First Published:May 9, 2022 8:43 PM IST