The AAP on Wednesday held a protest against the BJP-ruled civic bodies' anti-encroachment drives in the city, alleging that the saffron party leaders are "extorting" people threatening them of running bulldozers on their houses.

Several AAP leaders and workers, led by Durgesh Pathak, held their protest near their party headquarters here, holding placards in their hands and raising slogans like "stop hooliganism", "stop extortion" against the BJP-ruled civic bodies' anti-encroachment drives in the city.

"We have gathered here to protest against the BJP's hooliganism and extortion," Pathak told reporters.

The party had planned to hold the protest outside the BJP headquarters, located about one kilometer from the AAP head office, but it could not do so because the police had put up barricades on the way.

Pathak alleged that the Delhi BJP leaders have been reaching out to people across Delhi and threatening them of running bulldozers on the "unauthorised" constructions done on their properties if they do not "pay money" to them.

"They (BJP leaders) are extorting people threatening that the bulldozer will be run over their properties if they do not pay money to them. They are visiting their homes, pointing out frivolous shortcomings," the senior AAP leader said.

First the BJP "allowed and promoted" illegal constructions in the city while ruling the three civic bodies for the past 15 years, its leaders are now demanding the people pay "ransom" to avoid razing of such structures, he charged.

"We will not allow this goondagardi (hooliganism) and extortion," he said.

The BJP-ruled South Delhi Municipal Corporation on Tuesday cracked down on encroachers in all its four zones and removed temporary structures and illegal hoardings, and impounded vehicles, freeing a nearly five km road stretch, officials said.

The move comes after Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta wrote to mayors of South and East corporations on April 20, seeking removal of encroachments by Rohingyas, Bangladeshis and anti-social elements" in their areas.

Last week, an anti-encroachment drive conducted by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation in Jahangirpuri area, which witnessed violence between two communities on April 16, had drawn widespread criticism. The Supreme Court had to intervene to stop the demolition drive there.