Ravidas temple issue: AAP govt asks DDA to start process of land denotification

A day before a Dalit groups protest over the demolition of the Ravidas temple in Tughlakabad forest area here, the AAP government Thursday asked the Delhi Development Authority to immediately initiate the process of denotification of the land from the forest category.

On August 21, Dalit groups had organised a massive protest in at Ramlila Maidan, bringing traffic movement to a standstill. The protesters had turned violent after the police prevented them from moving to the site of the temple, demolished by the DDA on August 10 on the orders of the Supreme Court.

The Dalit groups have given a call for another protest at Jantar Mantar on Friday.

In a letter to DDA Vice Chairman Tarun Kapoor, Delhi's Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said on Thursday, "An early resolution of the matter is required, which would be possible only if the owner of the land, which is the DDA, requests the forest department for denotifying the land from the forest category."