Despite the orders from the Central Government and the Government of Karnataka, the landlords in Karnataka have been evicting their tenants from the premises. In this, the worst affected have been laborers and students.
Pratap Malik, his wife, and their four-month-old child have been living in a small room in the heart of the Bengaluru city for five years. Having migrated from Balasore in Odisha, they have been living on the income by running a tailoring shop. However, since the lockdown has been imposed, they have been forced to exhaust their savings and had to comprise on food. On 7th May, a group of men sent by the landlord arrived at their doorstep demanding the rent of the two months i.e. Rs. 4,800. Upon saying that they didn’t have the money, the group of men threw out the luggage of the family and locked the door.
After they were thrown out of the house, Pratap and family reached out to the jurisdictional police for help. There wasn’t any help provided. On May 8th, after finding no help, the family set out to their home in Odisha that is nearly 1,600 kilometers away from Bengaluru. After walking for 100 kilometers, at the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border, the police turned them away. After six days, they were demoralized and exhausted. When a media correspondent reached out to them, they were 40 kilometers off Bengaluru towards the airport. Pratap’s wife Jamuna held her baby and said,
“The police kept stopping us at check posts. They fed us but asked us to return to Bengaluru. We have no home there. The only home we have is in Odisha and the police aren’t letting us cross the border. We know it is dangerous to take the baby along the highway, but what option do we have?”
The Bengaluru’s highways continue to see hundreds of migrants walking towards their home that is thousands of miles away. Although the center had arranged Shramik Trains for the migrant laborers, it has done little to them. As of 17th May, 75 Shramik Trains have transported 99,245 migrant workers to their home states. However, over three lakh people had applied.
“I will never return to Bengaluru”
Many migrant workers have been waiting on the streets of the city for their chance to get on the train. The streets, for them, is the immediate escape from eviction by their landlords. Rajesh Chauhan, a laborer from Uttar Pradesh said,
“What other option do we have? We have to be homeless and on the streets for days in Bengaluru to wait for our chance to go on a train. We might as well as start walking through the day.”
After failing to pay the rent, Rajesh had to choose between waiting for the train or walk to his home. He chose the latter. He adds,
“All I got in the police station were dandas. And all I could think about what I was going to become homeless in a hostile city. I will never come back to Bengaluru.”
The Karnataka government has repeatedly urged those being evicted to reach out to the COVID-19 helpline number. BJP Ministers have threatened actions against those landlords who force the tenant to evict in the times of COVID19. For the police, to take action against landlords have been difficult as the force is extensively deployed to ensure the implementation of the lockdown.
Source: Firstpost
