"This was our spiritual home"

On 12 July, civic authorities in Delhi demolished the Little Flower Church in Delhi’s Chattarpur locality. Though the church has been functional for over 14 years, civic authorities claim it is illegal. Church authorities claim the demolition was illegal. Disputes concerning the title of the plot were ongoing in Delhi courts at the time of the demolition.

On 9 July evening, government authorities had given a notice of demolition to the security guard at Little Flower Church. The notice did not offer the church authorities an opportunity to respond, and instead directed them to remove all encroachments within three days. It also does not state the law under which the notice has been issued. The notice cited a 2015 Delhi High Court order about a Hindu temple built on illegal land in an address near the church. The order does not pertain to the Little Flower Church. Arvind Jain, the BDO of Delhi’s South district, did not respond to questions about the grounds on which the demolition was ordered.