Court halts digging of Muslim graveyard

On Thursday, the court of justice Rajiv Shakdher issued orders restraining all authorities from taking any steps for levelling the graveyard till further orders from the court. The court has also issued notice to the Delhi government, Delhi Lt-Governor, East Delhi Municipal Corporation, Delhi Police and the SHO of Harsh Vihar police station. The matter will come up for hearing in August but for the residents of Mandoli, this means only a temporary relief.

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The petition, filed by Mandoli resident Mohammad Shabeer, claims that the graveyard has existed since1915, according to government revenue records. The oldest marked grave here is dated 1965.

Residents now claim that local councillor Manoj Tyagi was “creating trouble” for the Muslim residents of the area. Diggers were sent by the MCD in September, 2014 and again in March this year to dig up the graveyard. On May 5, claims the plea, police personnel entered the graveyard and started “taking measurements” leading to heightened tension among the residents of the area.

Councillor Tyagi denied any knowledge of a digger being sent to the graveyard. In the plea, residents claimed the land was acquired by the government in 1965, but the graveyard was allowed to be used by local residents after agitations and litigation.