Swati DeshpandeMumbai: The Bombay high court recently expressed its shock over the police lapse in failing to halt what appeared to be an illegal demolition in 2016 of a historic Buddha Bhushan printing press at Dadar set up by Dr B R Ambedkar.On April 30, Justices A S Gadkari and Kamal Khata said it was “deeply disturbing to read” a “thoughtless affidavit” (filed by an assistant commissioner of police). The ACP said, “His officers immediately reached the spot and ensured that necessary preventive and protective measures were undertaken”.Saying the matter was serious, HC directed the Mumbai police chief to file within six weeks a detailed reply to Prakash Ambedkar’s petition. He must “disclose the names of officers who were on duty at Bhoiwada police station when the incident took place’” and disclose if the intelligence department was working.The HC also directed the BMC commissioner to file an affidavit to state if it had permitted the demolition and if it allows demolitions at midnight, or if it was an isolated case and whether the accused persons informed the civic body they need the help of 400 persons to take possession of the press property. The next hearing will be on June 15.The demolition was by a group of around 400 persons at midnight of June 25, 2016. Several persons accused of illegal demolition in an FIR had petitioned the HC in 2017 for quashing the case.Prakash Ambedkar of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and grandson of B R Ambedkar had in 2017 also petitioned HC, raising concern over the “illegal” demolition and questioning police inaction and alleged collusion of public servants in the “dastardly act.”A decade later, police on April 28, 2026 filed their affidavit claiming they learnt of the demolition, yet they attempted to justify the situation and police inaction by relying on a civic notice.Justices Gadkari and Khata said, “We are constrained to express our shock at the audacity and the manner in which the police responded to the complainants who approached the police station. It is rare, if not unprecedented, for the BMC or any authority to carry out a demolition between 12.00 am and 7 am. Instead of promptly proceeding to the site and halting what appears to have been an illegal demolition, there was evident inaction on part of police.”In 1945, after having purchase land in 1930 with his own funds, Dr Ambedkar had created a trust and built the press on one plot. There were three buildings, one of which had the press, the second had Yashodhara Sanganak Kendra and the third was Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Bhavan.Disputes emerged between trustees and the HC noted they acted against each other and also against the object of the trust. Recounting facts briefly, the HC order said seven members “under the garb of a false structural audit report… instigated the BMC to issue a (demolition) notice… which stated that the building was in a dilapidated condition.”In June 2016, Prakash Ambedkar said his brother Anandraj was informed four men with 400 unknown persons had come with bulldozers on an “authorisation” from the chief information commissioner to demolish the press. Police refused to send personnel to stop the razing when Anandraj complained and he said he saw machines purchased by his grandfather and the ‘Panchshil flag’ were damaged, cupboards, handwritten documents of Dr Ambedkar and other “valuable anti-manuscripts regarding integration of social rights from 1910 till 1956 were all stolen,” the HC order recorded.HC said the enquiry officers have failed to follow the constitutional mandate of recording the complaint. The police reply also suppresses how many persons ransacked the property and which police officers were on duty that night, HC said.
