Turkman gate demolition and rioting
# Turkman gate demolition and rioting

The Turkman gate demolition and subsequent massacre was an infamous case of political oppression and police brutality during the Emergency when, on 31 May 1976, residents of Old Dehli were killed by police while protesting a slum clearance. An official account of the number of people killed at Turkman gate is not available and a media blackout ensued in the wake of the massacre. One local guide claimed that nine of his friends were killed by the police. More than ten bulldozers razed down illegal structures and homes, and protestors were fired upon by police.

## Background

During the Emergency, Indira Gandhi's government, prompted by her son Sanjay, launched the demolition drive to clear the Delhi municipality of slums, and force poor residents to leave Delhi and move to distant settlements. The residents of Turkman Gate, refused to move as they stayed there from Mughal period (this was an internal part of the walled city) and would have to commute every day paying heavy bus fares to reach the city to earn their living. They resisted the bulldozing of their houses. On 18 April 1976, the police opened fire on protesters killing several of them. The government, who had earlier imposed censorship, ordered the press not to report the massacre. The Indian public learned of the killings through foreign media outlets, such as the BBC. It was later reported that protesters were run over by bulldozers, resulting in several deaths.

## Total deaths

Shah Commission report recorded statements of police officers and one officer admitted that, at least, twenty civilians died from gunfire. Independent researchers, however, place casualties at 400 dead and over 1000 wounded.

