9 years, spate of orders, but no end to karbala stand-off

Karbala committee members say lease for nursery expired in 2000, but nursery owners deny charge .

After Monday’s violence, police have put up barricades at the karbala in Jor Bagh. (Oinam Anand)

The calm at the dargah Shah-e-Mardan in Jor Bagh, South Delhi, is tenuous. Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel in brilliant blue uniforms patrol the area and a line of yellow police barricades dot the otherwise uninterrupted green expanse of the karbala complex. Both betray the uneasy calm and serve as a reminder to the repeated flare-ups in the area over the past few years.

The karbala lies in the middle of Jor Bagh and B K Dutt Colony. Members of the Anjuman-e-Haideri — the trust responsible for the upkeep of the venerated Shia site — allege that the Waqf land has been encroached upon by the owners of Rajdhani Nursery, which is also located on the Waqf land.

On Monday, a procession of Shia Muslims from Uttar Pradesh, on their way to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi, was stopped at the Delhi-Ghaziabad border by the Delhi Police, sparking violence. Several vehicles were damaged and many injured in the incident.

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The Delhi Police promptly increased the security in the area surrounding the karbala. But such increased security isn’t a new thing for those living in B K Dutt Colony. In 2012, the dispute had resulted in a violent clash between members of the Anjuman-e-Haideri and the nursery owners and their supporters.

The committee members said the lease for the nursery expired in 2000, but nursery owners deny the charge. “The matter is in the court. The fact of the matter is that we are not encroaching on anyone’s land,” Wasim Khan, owner of Rajdhani Nursery, also known as Karbala Shahe Mardan Nursery, said.

In January 2012, protesters had gathered outside the residence of Congress leader Ahmed Patel, who the Anjuman-e-Haideri alleged was involved. “Ahmed Patel’s influence has prevailed until now and no action has been taken against the culprits despite Sonia Gandhi promising to do so,” Bahadur Abbas Naqvi, general secretary of Anjuman-e-Haideri, said.

But in a statement on February 25, Patel denied the charges. “It is unfortunate that my name is being mentioned in this controversy. Accusations are being made through newspapers, television, posters and public meetings that I am patronising the alleged occupant of Karbala Shahe Mardan Nursery. This is a completely illogical and baseless allegation,” he said.

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Former chief minister Sheila Dikshit had met Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde last year, asking him to intervene in the matter. In December 2012, the High Court had asked the Delhi chief secretary to look into the demarcation of land around the karbala after the New Delhi Municipal Council told the court that it couldn’t implement the court’s previous order to construct a boundary wall there.

According to sources, at the heart of the never-ending dispute is the sheer amount of money involved, due to the prime location of the land. Khan admitted that his annual turnover averages between Rs 2 and 3 crore, while members of the Anjuman-e-Haideri said they should be receiving a rent of Rs 4 crore for the disputed property.

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