“Who are the inhabitants of mud huts? They are Dalits. Who does labor-intensive work? They are Dalits. The most important question regarding the rapid evictions in Delhi is: what happens when the people living in these settlements, who are our laborers, plumbers, carpenters, house helpers, etc., are made homeless and forced to return to their villages? Shanta Devi, a housing rights activist, asks.
One can tell that the Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, and other backward castes always experience the arbitrary relocation from where they come to establish a living by witnessing the politics of poverty and power hierarchy, and research carried out over the years verify this. In the run-up to the massive G-20 Summit preparations, Delhi has seen back-to-back evictions from Yamuna Pushta area to Priyanka Gandhi camp, Sarai Kale Khan, Tughlaqabad Fort region, and others. The argument that these informal settlements are “illegal” is often used to forcibly evict these people from their homes, many of which they constructed and have resided in for 30–40 years.
But the city and its government are the ones who keep denying the working class, mostly made up of Muslims, Dalits, and Adivasis, even the most basic need like a roof over their heads. They already live in cramped quarters with a tin roof and four brick walls, and even that is taken away from them without their will.
It’s crucial to remember that these people’s identities in society, not simply their poverty, are what makes them homeless. The complex history of denying resources to Muslims, Adivasis, and Dalits is the core of the eviction difficulties.
How Caste Affects Eviction Rates
Beena Pallical, a Dalits rights activist, claims that “caste lines are played along in everything in India.” “We would not be in this situation if a Brahmin lived in these areas today.”
She continues, “There is no political will to ensure the lives of the marginalized.”
In India, government after government has failed to guarantee that all public authorities and institutions are free from caste-based discrimination, despite the protection of marginalized people inscribed into our Constitution. As a consequence, lower caste Muslims, Dalits, and Adivasis are forcibly removed from their homes and denied access to land and the right to hold it.
When these migrant daily wage workers and laborers from other states arrive in a large city, Sunil Kumar Aledia, a founding member of the Centre for Holistic Development (CHD) in Delhi, claims that they search for one of two types of sites to construct a house: either desert or riverbank.
The Dharavi community is the best illustration of how slum communities have developed over many years in India’s main cities. However, the notion to remove them stems from neoliberal development politics and the colonial mentality, both of which operate under a distorted narrative of green aesthetics that criminalizes these settlers as “encroachers.”
Dalits have always stayed outside of villages, according to Aledia, who also notes that this has made them easy prey. Similar to this, the Dalit, Adivasi, and, in certain circumstances, the Muslims—who are denied access to school, employment, and financial security—find these settlements to be a roof over their heads even in metropolitan environments.
But he adds that they are still “easy targets” for the upper caste population in metropolitan areas now, just as they have been historically.
Election-Bank Politics
The widespread urbanization of Indian cities favors an elite conception of development that ignores the worries of the impoverished people dispersed on the edges of these contemporary settings.
“There is no place for a dhobi (launderer), a naee (hairdresser), a cobbler, or a rickshaw puller in a’smart city,’” claims Aledia.
However, when election time arrives, politicians first go to these communities to increase their support base.
The brutal destruction of homes recently seen in Delhi is brought up by Shanta Devi. “Every election, political parties promise them shelter, ration, pucca houses, etc. but as soon as the price of that land goes up, they are removed from the site,” she adds.
“A home is essential. The promise of providing them with a pucca home must be kept if these politicians really care about the people the way they portray themselves while seeking their votes, she continues.
Beena Pallical asserts that “the poor and the marginalized hold and uphold the Indian Constitution.” They cast their votes in great numbers, not the middle or higher classes.
These marginalized groups are, nevertheless, more susceptible to false promises of a home, ration, power, etc. due to their lack of knowledge.
“We may have contributed to the institution’s negligence and corruption somewhere. This is also evident in the protest of the wrestlers. Imagine what would have happened if they had been Dalits and anything similar had been happening to them. They would not have had a chance. We will continue to lose out until the whole system is cleaned up,” she argues.
Once a trespasser, always a trespasser
The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) made the decision to reclaim its territory around the fort at Tughlakabad hamlet, which resulted in the rapid eviction of tens of thousands of residents. The only “document” these people and their elders had proving their ownership of the property was a piece of paper that served as a receipt when intermediaries sold the land to them. This property had been inhabited for thirty to forty years. Therefore, the property was not really “encroached” upon, but rather purchased by the locals.
However, the ASI notification rendered the paper receipt inapplicable. They were forced to leave their possessions behind one night and go in search of another somewhere to stay. They were dealt with as “encroachers.”
Beena Pallical declares, “It is an outright violation of human rights.”
The government forcefully eliminates room for poor, working-class inhabitants in the heartlands and forces them to the outskirts of cities in order to promote the image of beautified Indian cities based only on aesthetics and selective environmentalism.
Human rights activist Harsh Mander said during a news conference on the forced evictions that took place in India during the G-20 meetings that “These distressing events raise profound questions about the lack of basic compassion exhibited by the government.” The merciless destruction of homes and the utter lack of previous notifications indicate a grave disrespect for human rights. These people are being denied their rights and benefits on the grounds that these settlements are illegitimate.
According to Pallical, the educated middle- and upper-middle class must hold the government responsible. It must become everyone’s issue. Then and only then is there a chance for change. People must assume leadership, argues Pallical.
