Waqeel Hasan was a part of the team of 12 workers who rescued the 41 entrapped workers in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara Tunnel in November last year. He along with his associates worked tirelessly to save fellow workers who were trapped when the tunnel collapsed. After returning from the rescue operation he said that they took the risk for their fellow workers, it was a duty to the nation that they served.
After three months, the central government agency Delhi Development Authority (DDA) bulldozes the house of the Nation’s Hero in Delhi’s Khajuri Khas.
In protest, trade unions jointly held a demonstration in front of DDA office on 4 March to demand rebuilding of Wakeel Hasan’s house at the same place along with monetary compensation. Protesters also demanded rehabilitation of all evictees of earlier bulldozer demolitions taking place at dozens of other places in Delhi.
On 28 February, a team of DDA and Delhi police reached Waqeel Hasan’s house in the morning. At that time, only the children of the family were present. Despite that, the DDA and Delhi Police continued thrashing his door forcefully. It is to note that all officials forcing the children to open the door were male officials. When Waqeel and his wife returned home and clarified to DDA that they have bought the house and have been staying in the house for more than a decade, Delhi Police arrested Waqeel and his wife and kept them at Khajuri Khas police station. In the meantime, bulldozers ravaged Waqeel’s house to the ground.