Wakeel Hassan rose to national prominence for his pivotal role in the miraculous rescue of 41 trapped workers in the Silkyara tunnel of Uttarakhand, have a look at the biography of the rat miner
When a section of the Silkyara tunnel collapsed on November 12, trapping the workers inside, the state and central governments’ efforts to rescue them were in vain. That’s what prompted Wakeel Hassan’s Delhi-based Rockwell Enterprises to step in and lead a rescue mission. The firm, primarily involved in cleaning sewerage lines mobilized a team of rat-hole miners, comprising of Hindus and Muslims, who worked tirelessly round the clock to dig through the tunnel and rescue the workers.
Who is rat miner Wakeel Hassan as his house is demolished by the DDA in Delhi and his biography
Their efforts which would have taken around 10-15 days under normal circumstances were completed in just 24-36 hours. The selfless dedication of Hassan to the rescue mission earned him national acclaim, including recognition from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Despite his heroic actions, the life of Wakeel Hassan took a drastic turn when the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) demolished his house in Khajoori Khas, leaving him and his family homeless. Hassan who had earlier requested the authorities and the government to reward him with only the house, now finds himself abandoned with nowhere to go.
#Watch | "We did such good work but in return, my own house has been razed. Where will I take my children," says Wakeel Hassan, one of the rat miners whose house has been razed.
"The only option left for us is to die…we were sent to police station, my children, my wife & I… pic.twitter.com/xEAT1HCQyY
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) February 29, 2024
His family is forced to sit on the road and eat food with him married and has children as well. Hassan expressed his disappointment by revealing that he rescued 41 people in the Silkyara tunnel, only to face homelessness in return.
That's SAD !
BJP Ruled DDA has razed down the house of Wakeel Hassan, the Real Life Hero, part of the team, who rescued 41 workers trapped in Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel.#WakeelHassan pic.twitter.com/XnnLm3Jhiz— Aarti (@aartic02) February 29, 2024
Allegations against the authorities
Wakeel Hassan alleged that the DDA conducted the demolition drive without providing prior notice, specifically targeting his house. Despite claims by the DDA that the drive was conducted to remove encroachment from its acquired land in village Khajoori Khas, Hassan’s assertions contradict these statements.
Wakeel Hassan is a rat-miner who helped in the rescue of 41 Silkyara workers trapped in a mine..Instead of getting prize from govt ,His house has be demolished.
After rescuing workers from tunnel,his words were :
" this is the message I want to give to everyone… We should all… pic.twitter.com/SM9HOq07Yk— itsMe (@sadiqueanj) February 29, 2024
Additionally, Hassan claimed that when he and a member of his rescue team, Munna Qureshi, went to the police station, they were beaten up by the police. With only a compensation of Rs 50,000 from the Uttarakhand government and no support from the authorities, Hassan declared a hunger strike with his family on the remnants of their destroyed house until justice is served.
Hours after razing his house in a demolition drive in Delhi, the DDA offered to move Wakeel Hassan, a rat-hole miner who was part of the Silkyara tunnel rescue operation, and his family to a temporary accommodation but he declined the offer.
This comes a day after Hassan alleged that the DDA razed his house in Delhi’s Khajoori Khas on Wednesday without prior notice to him and Hassan and his family spent the night outside following the demolition drive.
The DDA said, “The family (of Hassan) was in the know of their status of encroachment”. Hassan was “also aware of the encroachment on the land” which was removed earlier in 2016 but it was encroached by him again in 2017. “In 2016, the DDA, initiating a demolition drive, reclaimed its three land parcels from encroachment.”
Hassan revealed that he bought the house in 2013 while the registry of the house is from 1987.
He said, “I will stay put here with my family till I am relocated, now that my family is without a roof over their heads.”