Turkman gate demolition and rioting

The Turkman gate demolition and firing was an infamous case of political oppression and police brutality during the Emergency when the police shot and killed people protesting against demolitions of their houses ordered by Indira Gandhi's government in 1976.[1] An official account of the number of people killed at Turkman gate is not available and media was not allowed to cover the riot and massacre.[2] One local guide claimed that nine of his friends were killed by police.[3] More than 10 bulldozers razed down unauthorised houses and police resorted to firing on people who protested against the slum clearance.[4]

During the Emergency, Indira Gandhi's government, prompted by her son Sanjay, launched the demolition drive to cleanse Delhi of slums and force poor residents to leave Delhi and move to distant settlements. The residents of Turkman Gate, refused to move as they stayed there from Mughal period (this was a internal part of walled city) and would have to commute every day paying heavy bus fares to reach the city to earn their living. They resisted the bulldozing of their houses. On 18 April 1976, the police opened fire on protesters killing several of them. The government, who had earlier imposed censorship, ordered the newspapers not to report the massacre. The Indian public came to know about killings through foreign media like BBC. It was later reported that protesting people were run over by bulldozers, resulting in several deaths.[4]