4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Aug 28, 2026 11:36 PM IST
Residents of BR Camp, Masjid Camp and DID Colony hold rakhis outside the AICC headquarters to seek Rahul Gandhi’s intervention on Friday. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)
Three days after the Delhi High Court paved the way for evicting people living in three slum clusters near the Prime Minister’s residence at Lok Kalyan Marg, a group of women residents of these slums asked Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to intervene to ensure their “dignified rehabilitation”.
In a representation submitted to the Congress party’s office on Friday (August 28), the slum-dwellers said, “We are not opposed to development or any government initiative. We only want our families to be rehabilitated in a place where we can continue our jobs, our children’s education, and live our normal lives with dignity.”
Around half a dozen women, accompanied by their children, arrived at the Congress office at 24 Akbar Road on Friday morning hoping to meet Rahul. They were unable to meet him, but they said they would keep trying.
Cross marks are seen on the walls of houses at the Bhai Ram Camp slum cluster near the Prime Minister’s official residence, in New Delhi. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
“We were told an appointment was needed to meet him. We have requested an appointment, but we have not had a response yet. We will be here again tomorrow,” a woman who gave her name as Firdos said.
The government initiated action last October to evict residents from three slum clusters – B R Camp, DID Camp and Masjid Camp – in the neighbourhood of the Prime Minister’s residence, pointing to their location “adjoining military installations”, and the need to strengthen defence infrastructure.
In court, the government emphasized that “in the current global security situation, which involves increased threats and the risk of conflict or war-like conditions, the presence of unauthorized structures in this sensitive area creates serious risks to national security, public safety, and the protection of vital installations”.
Many residents of the camps have, however, resisted moving to their allotted accommodation in Savda Ghevra in remote Outer Delhi, almost 45 km from where they have lived for the past 70-odd years. While about 400 families have agreed to move, almost 300 families continue to protest.
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On August 25, the Delhi High Court ruled that the government’s eviction order was not illegal. It constituted a committee headed by a retired district court judge and comprising senior government officials to monitor the rehabilitation of the slum-dwellers, who had complained of the absence of basic amenities in their new area, and to ensure their right to live with dignity.
Firdos, however, wondered how fair it was to have a “committee meant for the welfare of sum-dwellers without a single representative from among us”.
The slum-dwellers are now demanding rehabilitation in situ, and an assurance that they would not be evicted without suitable rehabilitation.
Outside the Congress office, slum-dweller Shaista Khan said, “We are hoping that Rahul Gandhi takes up our issue. He has been elected [to Lok Sabha] by the people, and it is his duty to fight for us. We are also planning to approach the Supreme Court against the verdict of the Delhi HC.”
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A woman who said she had been standing outside the Congress office for three hours from around 9.30 am complained: “When Sheila Dikshit was chief minister, her doors were always open to the public. Here, we have not even been assured of an appointment [to meet Rahul].”
Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.
Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).
Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.
She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.
With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.
Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.
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Cross marks are seen on the walls of houses at the Bhai Ram Camp slum cluster near the Prime Minister’s official residence, in New Delhi. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)