Kolkata: A Delhi court had temporarily stayed a Feb 12 order for eviction at Jai Hind Camp in Delhi's Vasant Kunj, Trinamool MPs said on Thursday.
Several hundred Bengali-speaking migrants staying there said their water and electricity connections were snapped on July 8, and they were being coerced to vacate their homes. CM Mamata Banerjee protested against this, prompting Trinamool MPs to lead a sit-in protest at the colony. Trinamool also raised this issue in Parliament on Wednesday.
Over 100 Jai Hind Camp residents appealed against the eviction order, saying they had been living there since 2002.
According to reports, a Delhi court on July 19 admitted a plea against the eviction order and stayed it until Aug 8, when it will hear the case.
Trinamool's Midnapore Lok Sabha MP, June Malia, said in a statement: "On Wednesday, I raised a matter in Parliament under Rule 377 on the harassment and discrimination faced by the Bengali-speaking workers in Jai Hind Camp. The hon'ble home minister will have to answer this. However, there is also some good news: the Patiala House Court has granted a stay order on the illegal eviction notice issued to the Bengali-speaking residents and has directed that all essential facilities, including water supply and electricity, be restored immediately.
""We all stand beside Mamata Banerjee in this fight together. Trinamool Rajya Sabha MPs such as Dola Sen, Sagarika Ghose, Samirul Islam, Saket Gokhale and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray have all stood in solidarity with our brothers of Jai Hind Camp. It is heartening to see that the court has heard our request," she added.
Trinamool's Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev said: "The court has given an order and directed the authorities to restore electricity and water supply — basic necessities for the residents of Jai Hind Camp — which were disconnected on the grounds that the residents were to be evicted as alleged foreigners.
"Dev added: "It is a crystal clear indication that what Centre has started across the country against Bengali-speaking people, who are migrant workers, is illegal, unconstitutional and inhuman. I thank the court for reinstating these basic facilities to the people of Jai Hind Camp. This vindicates the stand of our CM Mamata Banerjee, who has consistently said that in the name of finding illegal migrants, you are racially profiling Bengali people, harassing and persecuting them. This is absolutely against the law of the country, and the court has also vindicated it.
"Trinamool, in a statement, said, "We reaffirm our stand: every Bengali will be protected, and every act of injustice will be resisted. This is just the beginning. Our fight for dignity, recognition and justice for Bengali-speaking Indians will continue with full force.