The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Sunday conducted a massive demolition run where they shifted at least 300 families from the streets. It is reported that the families staying at shantytowns in Kariyammana Agrahara and two other places in Bellandur were “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants”.
300 huts flattened by BBMP
According to the sources, on 19th January BBMP smashed 300 huts of ‘illegal Bangladeshi immigrants’ who stayed in shantytowns in Kariyammana Agrahara and two other places in Bellandur. Among thousands of people, many had come to Bengaluru from flood-hit North Karnataka in search of a livelihood. BBMP officials affirmed that they have demolished 300 huts which had come upon private properties.
Thousands were taken onto streets after they were stamped “illegal Bangladeshi migrants” by a BBMP official and forced out of their hut over a week.
The development came just a day after a BBMP official wrote a letter to the police on Saturday asking protection to staffers for removal of people from the huts.
An oral complaint
“Bangladeshis have set up sheds next to Mantri Espa Apartment in Kariyammana Agrahara and other places in Bellandur ward. They have transformed these areas into slums. This office took oral complaints that this has degraded the environment. There is a need to evacuate the residents of the sheds. To ensure no unfortunate incident takes place, we are requesting police protection,” the assistant executive engineer of Marathahalli Subdivision wrote to the police inspector of Marathahalli station. Source.
This incident gained a lot of criticism. Few activists symbolized the decision was unofficial and said action will be taken against the assistant executive engineer who executed the demolition with police protection.
“Around 200 sheds have been destroyed in Kariyammana Agrahara. At the Devarabeesanahalli area, over 500 sheds have been brought down over the last one week. Men in plainclothes said they were Marathahalli police protecting BBMP officials. There were no BBMP officials on the site. The demolition stopped only when we dared them about the order authorizing them,” said advocate and activist Vinay Sreenivasa.
