Mayapuri sealing drive: Locals clash with police; BJP, AAP blame each other

Clashes broke out between locals and police personnel in Delhi's Mayapuri area on Saturday after MCD officials began to seal some illegal factories in the area following National Green Tribunal's order.

Videos from the incident show protesters clashing with security forces, pelting stones at them and then being chased down by them.

According to police, 14 persons, including an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and three other police personnel were injured in the clashes.

"A sealing drive was started today by SDM Delhi Cantt today along with the staff of MCD and DPCC in Mayapuri scrap market in pursuance of NGT orders. The local scrap dealers started protesting against the sealing and then got violent and resorted to stone pelting. 14 persons, including SDM, DPCC employees, Police personnel including ACP have been injured, " Delhi police said adding a case is being registered.

The Aam Aadmi Party reacted strongly against action by the MCD officials.

The official twitter handle of the party shared a video of the incident.

The tweet read, "Horrifying!!! General Dyer Modi's police brutally pelting stones on the citizens in Mayapuri, Delhi."

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal posted on his official Twitter handle that had the Nation Capital been given full statehood, his party would have stopped the sealing of factories in 24 hours.

Responding to the CM's tweet, the Bharatiya Janata Party said that pollution, a transferrable subject is under the purview of the state government.

"Pollution is a transferrable subject. It is under the state government. I want to clarify here that the central government or the MCD has nothing to do with this matter," said the Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in a press conference.

The BJP also accused the AAP of not implementing NGT's 2015 order to relocate the scrap industry.

"NGT in 2015 had directed the Delhi government to relocate the scrap industry and make a rehabilitation plan. In the past four years, many reminders were given to the government by the NGT," said Puri

"On April 11, the Delhi Chief Minister was called by the NGT and asked to implement the said order. Still, it was not done. The whole blame of today's wrong implementation should be put on Arvind Kejriwal," Puri added.

On Saturday, a notice was issued by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and a team reached Mayapuri scrap market, to begin the sealing drive on the orders of NGT to shut down 850 polluting factories in the area.

According to officials in the MCD, about six factories had been sealed. But when the MCD officials tried to proceed, the workers of the factories rushed to attack them and the police forces.

The crowd chased the MCD and the police forces and threw rocks at them, in which about four policemen were injured.

After this, ITBP personnel lathi-charged the crowd and brought the situation under control.