DDA razes house of man who led team that rescued 41 from Uttarakhand tunnel

“They (the authorities) came for demolition today morning; my wife and I were not at home, only my children were there. I rushed back, tried telling them not to go ahead, but they didn’t listen,” Hasan, 45, who also owns Rockwell Enterprises, the company that employed the “rat-hole” miners, said.

In an official statement, the DDA said, “On 28.02.2024, a demolition drive was conducted to remove encroachment from acquired land in village Khajuri Khas. The land was part of planned development land.”

Hasan claimed his house was the only one targeted in the locality. “There are other houses in the same line, it’s a colony. They said it is DDA land. In the area, only my house was demolished. The registry is from 1987, and we have been living here since 2012. It is an 80 gaj plot,” he said.

Recalling the rescue mission in November, Hasan, the father of three minor children, said, “We didn’t think about our lives and got the work done. We are not asking for money, all I ask for is that I have the house I was living in. Where do we go with the children? Kiraya dena humare bas ka hai nahi… doosra, ek dum se koi kiraye par makaan milega nahin (We can’t pay rent, we also won’t be able to find a place on rent immediately).”

Speaking to The Indian Express after the rescue in November, Hasan had said: “In our team, there are both Hindus and Muslims, and people from both religions worked hard to save these 41 lives. None of them could have done this alone, and this is the message I want to give to everyone… We should all live in harmony and not spread the poison of hate. We all want to give our 100 per cent for the country… Please convey my message to everyone.”

Twelve people engaged with Hasan’s company — six from Delhi including Hasan, and six from Bulandshahr — were credited with digging through 12 metres of debris during the last stretch to free the trapped miners.