Monday, May 20

Who Is Wakeel Hassan, The National Hero Whose House Has Been Demolished By The DDA?

Edited by Aishwarya Krishnan
Who Is Wakeel Hassan, The National Hero Whose House Has Been Demolished By The DDA? (image-X/aartic02)

Wakeel Hassan, the unsung hero behind the miraculous rescue of 41 trapped workers in the Silkyara tunnel of Uttarakhand, finds himself homeless after a demolition drive by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) razed his house on Wednesday.

Who Is Wakeel Hassan?

On November 12, last year, a section of the Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand caved in while under construction, trapping 41 workers inside. The state and central governments conducted multi-agency operations for 17 days, but to no avail. American Auger machines, vertical drilling, and blasting all went in vain. No one could get through the tunnel. Until Delhi-based Rockwell Enterprises, headed by a man called Wakeel Hassan, was roped in to conduct a rescue mission. The firm that primarily cleaned sewerage lines included a group of rat-hole miners, with Hindus and Muslims aged between 20 and 45 digging collectively for 24×7.

With two people digging the pipe and four clearing the debris simultaneously, the team of 12 rat miners successfully dug the last stretch of the tunnel to rescue the 41 workers on November 28. In normal circumstances, the task would have taken around 10–15 days. Hassan said, “We had said the work would be finished in 24 to 36 hours, and that is what we did,” as stated in a Deccan Herald report.

Receiving national acclaim, including recognition from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the head of the group refused to charge any money for conducting the rescue mission.

However, in an interview with The Indian Express, he did have a message to share with the people of India, “None of the rescuers could have done this alone, and this is the message I want to give to everyone… We should all live in harmony and not spread the poison of hate. We all want to give our 100 percent for the country. Please convey my message to everyone.”

Hailed As A Hero, Now Rendered Homeless

On Wednesday, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) conducted a demolition drive and razed Hassan’s house in Khajoori Khas. Without a roof over his head, his family stands abandoned with nowhere to go. Children are forced to sit on the road and eat food. “We rescued 41 people in the Silkyara tunnel, and in return, I got this. Earlier, I had requested the authorities and the government to give only this house to us as a reward, but to no avail. Today, without any information, DDA came and demolished it,” Hassan told Firstpost.

Reportedly, the DDA stated that the drive was conducted to remove encroachment from its acquired land in village Khajoori Khas and that the land was part of planned development land. Although the DDA claims that prior notice was sent, Hassan claims otherwise. According to a Firstpost report, Hassan alleged that only his house was targeted by the authorities. The Delhi police claim that several structures built illegally were demolished by the authorities.

He claimed that when he went to the police station, accompanied by Munna Qureshi, a member of his team in the rescue mission, they were beaten up by the police, as stated by the Deccan Herald.

With a compensation of Rs 50,000 from the Uttarakhand government, Hassan alleged that he had requested the authorities and the government to give the house to him but to no avail. According to a report by AajTak, Hassan said he bought the house in 2013 while the registry of the house is from 1987.

“I will stay put here with my family till I am relocated, now that my family is without a roof over their heads,” Hassan said in a Firstpost report, declaring a hunger strike with his family, on the remnants of their destroyed house until he gets justice.