NEW DELHI: BJP-ruled North Delhi Municipal Corporation’s Mayor Jai Prakash on Sunday said the civic body is exploring ways to grant “legal status” to the makeshift structure that has come up at Chandni Chowk where a temple was demolished by authorities in January based on an HC order.
“I have planned to call a high-level meeting tomorrow with officials to discuss possible ways by which legal status could be given to the structure,” he said. He termed the matter “very sensitive”, but said the structure anyway is on the median verge of the road.
While no FIR has been registered so far in the case, a police officer said, “We have received the complaint and necessary legal action has been taken in the matter.” He did not specify what “legal action” was taken by the police. The PWD complaint filed at the Kotwali Police Station stated that some unknown people kept the prefabricated structure at the median near Kucha Mahajani in Chandni Chowk on the night of February 18.
Meanwhile, the Delhi unit of BJP on Sunday sought apology from the AAP government for filing a complaint with the Delhi Police over the emergence of the temple structure. Reacting to reports of the Public Works Department taking up the issue with the police, Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said this shows the “double standards” of the ruling dispensation.
“AAP is doing politics on the issue of Hanuman temple in Chandni Chowk. On one hand their leaders are visiting the temple and offering prayers while on the other hand they file a police complaint in the matter. They stand exposed on this,” said Gupta who has written a letter to CM Arvind Kejriwal in this regard.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the January demolition of the “ancient” Hanuman Mandir had hurt the sentiments of local residents and traders in the business district. The sudden re-establishment of the Hanuman Mandir at an undisputed site just few meters away from the original temple site has made people very happy, he claimed.