Protest in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk Over Demolition of Hanuman Temple

Earlier on Sunday, the temple, which is located in the middle of the road between Town Hall and Gurdwara Sis Ganj, was demolished, in compliance with an order passed by the Delhi High Court.

New Delhi: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other saffron outfits on Tuesday carried out protests in the Chandni Chowk area of the national capital over the demolition of the 100-year-old Hanuman temple.  According to the TV reports, over a hundred people have gathered near the Red Fort holding saffron flags.

Earlier on Sunday, the temple, located in the middle of the road between Town Hall and Gurdwara Sis Ganj, was demolished, in compliance with an order passed by the Delhi High Court.

A delegation of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), led by its working president Alok Kumar, had met the LG and demanded reconstruction of the temple. Speaking to reporters, he claimed that the Religious Affairs Committee of the Delhi government could have resolved the matter and saved the temple from demolition but it did not do so.

“Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal portrays himself as a Hanuman devotee, but he stepped back when the time came to save the ancient temple at Chandni Chowk,” he attacked the Delhi CM.

When the redevelopment of Chandni Chowk had started, the local RWAs, market and traders’ associations had opposed it, but the AAP government did not stop the work, Gupta charged.

Hitting back at the BJP, Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Durgesh Pathak claimed that the BJP-ruled North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) demolished the temple and alleged that the leaders of the saffron party are accusing the AAP now to avoid public anger over such a “heinous crime”.

“To hide this reality from the people of Delhi, with the help of the city police, the BJP demolished the temple when everybody was asleep.
“Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta and other top leaders of the party are directly responsible for demolishing the ancient Hanuman temple. The AAP demands stringent action against these leaders for committing such a heinous crime,” news agency PTI quoted him as saying.