‘No Plan to Demolish Tablighi Jamaat Markaz’: SDMC Denies Reports

“There is nothing officially from SDMC’s side (regarding the demolition of the Markaz)”: Radha Krishan, SDMC PRO

A health worker sanitizes an area near Nizamuddin mosque, after people who attended the religious congregation at Tabligh-e-Jamaat Markaz, tested positive for COVID-19.

(Photo: PTI)

BJP councillor from Sriniwaspuri and member of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation’s standling committee Rajpal Singh has claimed that the civic body plans to demolish the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz in Nizamuddin.

Several publications like Dainik Jagran and Nai Dunia besides right wing portal Opindia published stories saying that there are plans to demolish the multi-storey building, mainly based on Rajpal Singh’s version.

However, the SDMC says that they have no such plans of demolishing the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz and that this is just Rajpal Singh’s personal opinion.

“What Rajpal Singh has said is not an official version. Rajpal Singh is just a councillor, he can demand whatever he wants. There is nothing officially from SDMC's side (regarding the demolition of the Markaz)." Radha Krishan, public relations officer of the SDMC, told The Quint.

On being asked regarding Rajpal Singh’s allegation about the building being illegal, the SDMC PRO said, “Our main priority is to fight Coronavirus right now, we don’t want to comment on anything else”.

Ever since a number of people who attended a Tablighi Jamaat meet at the Markaz in mid March contracted Coronavirus, a number of leaders from the BJP have been targeting the Islamic organisation.

While Union Minister for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi called it a “Talibani conspiracy”, Delhi BJP general secretary Vikram Bidhuri conducted a “purification drive” in Tughlakabad Railway colony which is near a government quarantine facility where Tablighi Jamaat members had been taken from the Markaz.