New Delhi, May 9 (PTI) The anti-encroachment drive in Shaheen Bagh has instilled fear among the residents and it targeted a particular community, claimed locals as they protested through the day against the South Delhi Municipal Corporation's action in the area on Monday.

Hundreds of people, including women, opposed the drive of the BJP-ruled SDMC as bulldozers rolled into the area in the presence of a huge number of police personnel, even as the civic body team was forced to return without carrying out the exercise.

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"There are illegal constructions at several locations across Delhi, so why the hype around Shaheen Bagh only? It shows authorities' intentions to target a particular community," said Shaheed Siddiqui, a local.

Forty-five-year-old Iftakar, who was born and brought up in the area, decried the anti-encroachment drive and said it has instilled fear among residents.

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The protesters raised slogans against the civic body as well as the Centre and demanded that the action be stopped. Some of the women protesters even stood in front of the bulldozers to prevent the exercise.

"I have never witnessed something like this in my lifetime," rues stunned Iftakar, who is still trying to figure out what transpired in Shaheen Bagh earlier in the day.

He has joined hundreds of locals at the Kalindi Kunj main road in protest against what he called a "sham" anti-encroachment drive.

The locals claimed there were no illegal constructions in the area.

"There was just one extended iron structure that the bulldozers found and even that was removed manually by the locals here. What exactly are the authorities trying to do here? Scare us?" asked Siddiqui.

"Bulldozers were sent but no encroachment was there on the road. I've been staying here with my family. We have never witnessed something like this in this area before. People are fearful now," Iftakar said.

"Today the carts and vegetable shops were asked to be removed by the MCD, days later they will be brought back by the MCD itself," he added.

PTI talked with several protesting shopkeepers, who appear furious and said JCB sent for the anti-encroachment drive did not find anything to demolish in that area.

Another resident claimed that carts and makeshift shops have been functioning on the streets of Shaheen Bagh for years but they "never witnessed any sort of anti-encroachment drive in that area."

Following the protest, the SDMC officials, who were part of the anti-encroachment drive, returned with bulldozers without conducting the exercise, an official said.

Several alleged the drive was an "attempt of the authorities to threaten a section of people in the area."

Anwar, a 17-year-old shopkeeper, alleged that policemen take money from those who have their carts on the streets in Shaheen Bagh. "I've seen policemen taking money from the people who set up their carts and shops on the streets not once, not twice but several times," he alleged.

Another resident Anis accused MCD officials of extorting money from street vendors.

"Not just the policemen, even MCD officials take money from them. Moreover, nobody here said that illegal constructions shouldn't be removed. Those who had carts on the streets were notified and they removed them accordingly," he said.

He further stated that "there is no illegal construction in the area and hence, the bulldozer could not find any building to demolish."

"Did they (SDMC authorities) send a bulldozer here just to remove some iron structures? They could have rather notified the shop about it and anyone would have removed it, like they did today. I don't think there was any necessity to send a bulldozer in this area. It was sent just to threaten the residents here," Anis claimed.

Meanwhile, the civic body has defended its action, with an SDMC official saying that the drive was planned after inspecting the area.

"It is our duty to remove encroachment wherever it is seen in the city. We were only discharging our duty," the official said.

Akbar, a 40-year-old shopkeeper at Kalindi Kunj main road, asked "why the councillors promise to regularize the colonies when they are sending bulldozers to demolish the buildings."

"On the one hand they send the colony's name for authorisation, but on the other hand they send bulldozers for anti-encroachment drive. Carts are there all over in Delhi, cars are blocking the roads and creating traffic in the city. Why can't the SDMC do something about that?" Akbar asked.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)