In April 1976, during the period of the Emergency, a sweeping demolition drive was carried out around Turkman Gate in Old Delhi on the instructions of Sanjay Gandhi. The operation targeted slum clusters and residential structures in the area, and when local residents attempted to resist, it escalated into violent confrontations between the police and the crowd. That grim episode resulted in multiple deaths and left thousands of families without homes, marking one of the darkest chapters of the Emergency era.
According to accounts from the time, Sanjay Gandhi had visited Turkman Gate one day in April 1976 along with his close aide, Jagmohan Malhotra, who was then the Vice Chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). Standing at Turkman Gate, Gandhi reportedly remarked that he wanted Jama Masjid to be clearly visible from there. Jagmohan interpreted this remark as a direct order. Acting on it, he decided that all slum settlements and other structures lying between Turkman Gate and Jama Masjid should be demolished. With that decision, Delhi witnessed what many describe as its first large-scale “bulldozer action,” one that flattened hundreds of homes in a matter of days and rendered entire neighbourhoods homeless.
To execute the order, a bulldozer was brought to Turkman Gate on the morning of April 13, 1976. A strategy was reportedly put in place to prevent immediate public anger. Labourers first began breaking nearby footpaths to give the impression that only minor civic work was underway. Officials from the DDA tried to reassure residents that their homes would not be touched. However, the presence of the bulldozer itself aroused suspicion. Some residents rushed to meet Jagmohan to plead for a halt to the operation, but even as these discussions were taking place, bulldozers began crushing jhuggis and buildings in the vicinity. People watched helplessly as their homes were torn down, with cries and wails filling the narrow lanes of the area.
This episode unfolded during the Emergency in India, a time when democratic rights were severely curtailed. Opposition leaders were imprisoned, civil liberties were suspended, and the right to protest was effectively crushed. The Turkman Gate demolition has since come to symbolise the excesses of that period, remembered as one of the most brutal and shameful incidents of the Emergency.
Residents did not accept the destruction in silence. On April 19, 1976, nearly 500 women, many accompanied by their children, gathered at the demolition site. With black bands tied around their arms as a sign of protest, they stood their ground and physically blocked the bulldozers, preventing them from advancing further. Their resistance soon prompted the authorities to call in large contingents of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
The arrival of armed security personnel carrying rifles, tear gas shells, and riot shields further inflamed tensions. Enraged residents began pelting stones at the forces, using debris from the demolished houses. Stones were also thrown from rooftops overlooking the narrow streets. The police responded with gunfire. As the situation spiralled out of control, more people poured out from adjoining lanes to confront the security forces. Several rounds were fired in an attempt to disperse the crowd, and many people were killed in the chaos.
Official records state that 14 rounds were fired, resulting in six deaths. However, numerous accounts suggest that the actual death toll was far higher. Several writers and observers have cited much larger figures. Veteran journalist Kuldeep Nayar, in his book The Judgement, wrote that as many as 150 people were killed in the police firing at Turkman Gate.
The demolitions carried out during the Emergency, particularly in Delhi, were later criticised for ignoring legal procedures. When the Shah Commission was set up in 1977 to investigate the excesses of the Emergency, it received numerous complaints alleging that these demolition drives were conducted without following due process of law. Records show that between 1973 and June 1975, about 1,800 structures were demolished in Delhi. However, from June 1975 to March 1977, the period covering the Emergency, an additional 1,50,105 structures were razed in the capital alone. It is estimated that nearly 7,00,000 people were displaced during this time.
Decades later, memories of that traumatic period resurfaced when another demolition drive took place near Turkman Gate. In the early hours of January 6–7, around 1 am, bulldozers were deployed near the Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque as part of an operation by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to remove allegedly illegal constructions. More than 30 bulldozers arrived at night, triggering fierce resistance from local residents. Stones were again hurled at police personnel, leading to clashes in which several civilians were injured and at least five policemen reportedly sustained injuries.
The sight of bulldozers near Turkman Gate once again served as a stark reminder of the tragic events of April 1976, a period etched deeply into Delhi’s collective memory as a symbol of unchecked state power and human suffering.
