Long and dark Sunday night for residents as Batla House demolition fear grows.
A haunting silence now blankets the once-vibrant Muradi Road in Batla House, a street that used to echo with daily bustle, now stilled by dread. The residents of Khasra Number 279 live each day under the shadow of uncertainty, with the looming threat of demolition casting a long, dark cloud over their lives.
A flicker of relief has come for more than 15 families in Batla House demolition case, whose homes were mistakenly included in the demolition zone but have now received interim protection, thanks to the efforts of petitioner counsel Fahad Khan. But for the vast majority, the anxiety remains undiminished. Fear hangs thick in the air, and hope is in short supply in Batla House demolition case.
This corner of Delhi, once known for its culture and community spirit, has now made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Just a lane away from the contested ground lies a neighbourhood that once exuded poetry and pride but now consumed by worry, as residents brace for the arrival of bulldozers. This is no ordinary street.
Not far from the controversial site stands the former home of renowned Urdu poet and critic Muzaffar Hanfi , a place once celebrated in literary circles across India. Hanfi was admired by greats like Munawwar Rana and Rahat Indori. An oft-recalled anecdote underscores the stature of this place: When a delegation from Zakir Nagar met then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, he reportedly remarked: “Muzaffar Hanfi lives there too, right?” as shared by his son. That’s the kind of reverence this locality once commanded.
Proud past confronts uncertain future in Batla House demolition case
Today, that legacy trembles beneath the weight of bulldozers and legal notices as a proud past confronts an uncertain future in Batla House demolition case.
With no official clarity and the eviction deadline already expired on June 11, families are bracing for the worst. The anxiety is palpable, and for many, the future resembles a dark tunnel with no light at the end. However, Saturday meeting of top police officials, DDA, Amanatullah Khan, Asif Md Khan, Shoaib Danish and his wife Councillor and RWAs in the locality is talk of the city.
Audio message from Amanatullah
An audio message from Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan released late night on Saturday has further escalated residents’ tensions. “I have received information from source that the DDA is determined to carry out the demolition in Muradi Road, Batla House, possibly this Monday or the following one — regardless of the circumstances,” Khan said.
Local residents shared their concerns about the process, the legal battles, and the emotional toll it is taking on families. “People are gripped with the fear of demolition. Those whose homes have been issued eviction notices are worried, what will happen to their houses?,” said Sarfaraz Ahmed.
For the residents, dread returns like a shadow of death each time police officers or mapping officials appear, like messengers of doom knocking at their doors. “Whenever police officers come here, or any mapping or survey process begins, people start feeling anxious. And their anxiety is valid,” he said, adding that out of 15 residents only two are from 279.
“In all there are 11 residents who got the relief on Friday. Of them two petitioners were specifically or partially from Khasra number 279. Till Friday 15 residents have got relief,” residents’ petitioner counsel Fahad Khan told the OT.
“It takes generations to build a home”
The residents emphasised that building a home is not easy and losing one can push entire families backward. “A home is not a trivial thing. Building a house is not within everyone’s reach. It takes generations to build a home. If I live in my own house, then whatever money I save from not paying rent goes towards my child’s education. But if something happens to the house, then problems multiply. I would have to pay rent and take care of the child’s education. That affects the child’s education. It breaks the child’s morale, even psychologically,” said Ahmed.
Other residents agree with him, but many are reluctant to speak openly.
“Actually, the first house was built in 1976 when we bought it. I later bought the house across the street in 2000. Now, each house has been sold multiple times, and two or three generations live in them. You’re now issuing demolition notices, creating panic in the entire neighbourhood. We are law-abiding citizens. We highly respect the court order. If this land is needed, DDA can take it. But if it serves no purpose, they should impose penalties if needed and regularize it. All houses here were built on purchased land. If the authorities want to take action, they should also go after the colonisers who plotted and sold the land. That would make more sense. Many of those colonisers, who once had nothing to eat, now drive around in luxury cars. And people who sold their jewellery or family land to buy homes are now being threatened with demolition,” said Muzaffar Hanfi’s son, Firoze Muzaffar Hanfi, is also one of the affected residents. However, he is confident that his house is not in 279 and mistakenly the authorities had pasted notice on it.
He said the DDA redefined the boundaries of the Khasra numbers, merging areas that were never part of Khasra number 279 into it. “My plot is actually in Khasra number 283, but that too has now been included in 279,” he said on Batla House demolition.
Residents have also “questioned the legality and fairness of the demarcation process”. Sarfaraz said: “Khasra number 279 on Muradi Road was regularised way back. Still, there’s confusion. Some portions fall under the PM-UDAY scheme, others don’t. There’s no clear basis on what basis were some people included and others excluded?”
Make us joint party in survey: Residents
They demanded transparency and inclusion in legal proceedings. “We should be made a joint party in the survey. Conduct a fresh survey. We should be made a party in the Supreme Court also,” he said.
“This is a regularised colony. We’ve failed to present this clearly in court earlier, whether it was our lawyers’ fault or that of the RWAs or us. Had we submitted the documents in time, we could have gotten more relief,” said Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan, who had earlier filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Delhi High Court challenging the demolition notices issued by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) around Batla House. On June 12, the HC allowed Khan to withdraw the PIL after observing that only affected individuals, not a collective PIL, could challenge the demolition notices.
Residents did not celebrate Eid-Ul-Adha
Nasir Iqbal said he bought the house five months ago, spending all his life savings, and now feels tense after an eviction notice was pasted on his flats. Speaking to a TV journalist, he said the situation has left his family so distressed that they didn’t even celebrate Eid-Ul-Adha. He claimed the seller never informed him about the ongoing legal dispute or the fact that the building was constructed only three years ago.
A resident told the OT that his neighbour, another affected resident, has now moved into a rented flat in the same locality. He said his neighbour had recently purchased another flat on same floor for his son, who is getting married, so the newlyweds could have a place to stay.
“Residents are in great pain. During Eid-Ul-Adha, when I visited the locality, I found that many families didn’t celebrate Bakrid. I also met a family preparing for a wedding, but the eviction notice has poured cold water on their celebration plans. They are deeply distressed,” said Ashu Khan on Batla House demolition.
They expressed frustration that residents were not even made parties to the case. “None of the owners were made parties in the case. How can a judgment be passed without hearing both sides? A decision cannot be based on just one side’s version,” said Sarfraz.
“Suppose you’re living in a house and suddenly a government agency puts up a notice, giving you 15 days to vacate because the building stands on their land. They say either vacate in 15 days or go to court. So I went to court. But we didn’t get a clear stay order from the court. And our side wasn’t even heard in Batla House demolition case,” he said.
On June 11, 2025, a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court granted a window of three working days for affected parties to file proper individual petitions seeking relief.
On the issue of demarcation in Batla House demolition case, some resident raised serious doubts. “DDA officials marked two bighas and ten biswa in 279. Due to which, markings extended to 282, 283, 281, 285, 284 — some of those buildings got stay orders. If 3,000 sq yards is stayed out of 4,500, the marking itself becomes invalid.
“I request the Supreme Court, High Court, LG Saxena, and DDA Vice Chairman to redo this demarcation so we can be heard. I have a water bill from 1988 for this location. I’ve paid house tax too. Under Indian law’s Adverse Possession rule, if someone stays on land for 30 years without notice, they should be granted Adverse Possession,” said Sarfraz.
“If this land was theirs, why didn’t they barricade it earlier? Why didn’t they send notices earlier?,” he said on Batla House demolition.
Former Congress Okhla MLA Asif Mohammad Khan told the OT that Muradi Road was regularised in 1978.
