Labelled ‘Bangladeshi’, homes razed: Hundreds displaced in Bengaluru

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Jan 21, 2020: Two days after their homes were razed in a demolition drive conducted by the city corporation and local cops, residents of Kariyammana Agrahara in south-west Bengaluru sit outside with all their identification in their hands. Many spent the night under the stars, taking shelter under trees, Yahoo reported.

In a surprise operation on Saturday, 18 January, that continued the next day, about 100-odd homes were razed on suspicions that the residents were ‘illegal Bangladeshi immigrants’. There are over 1,000 such huts or rooms located locked here, right beside Mantri Espana apartments in Bellandur, where several of the residents are employed as domestic workers and security guards.
"“They said we are all Bangladeshis, but we are from Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand, Bengal and many other places. I have a Voter ID, PAN card, Aadhaar card, and my name is on the NRC final list. Is there a poster on my back saying I am Bangladeshi? Why are they kicking a poor man in the stomach?”

Authorities said they were acting on a letter sent on Saturday by an assistant executive engineer of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) that claimed: “Bangladeshi nationals have built illegal sheds and the residents here have converted this into a slum area,”. On 12 January, Mahadevpura MLA Aravind Limbavali had tweeted a video showing ‘illegally constructed sheds’.

Residents of the settlement, however, told The Quint that none of their documents were checked by officials, and they that had not received any notice of eviction either. They also claimed that the water supply and electricity to their locality had been disrupted for a week prior to the demolition.


‘They Demolished My Home When My Kids Were Alone’

Munni Begum, employed as a domestic worker, said she was at work when she got calls about her house being torn down.

“I have my documents but they did not check. I have all my documents from Assam but still they call us Bangladeshis. Are we animals or what? Do we not have any rights? They never told us they were going to demolish our homes. We would have prepared. I was at work when they broke down my home and everything in it. I lost so much ration and vegetables,” she said.

The average rent of a room in Kariyammana Agrahara is approximately Rs 2,000, and several were able to show rent agreements for their accommodations. They said that they lived here in order to save money and send it back home.

The presence of lawyers and mediapersons on Sunday prevented the demolitions from continuing for long. The ensuing chaos caused the police team and BBMP officials to leave within two hours on Sunday afternoon while the residents were left to pick up the pieces of their homes

BBMP commissioner Anil Kumar reportedly said that he had no idea of the clearance operation and said that the engineer who had penned the letter to the Marathahalli police had been suspended.

Assistant engineer of Bellandur ward Narayanswamy, who at the spot, said that it was the police who had removed the settlements, not BBMP.

“There had been a lot of complaints from nearby residents about illegal immigrants living here but a date had not been set for the clearance drive,” he said.


‘They Kept Saying We Were Bangladeshi’

Bilal, originally from Delhi, was asked repeatedly if he was from Bangladesh and told not to live in a ‘Bengali-dominated area’.

“I told them that there are no Bangladeshis living here but there are people from Assam, Tripura who also speak Bengali. All the migrants from Bangladesh who were living in the city have already been chased out, due to the NRC fears. So, among people from across the country, I am also living here and making a living but they said we all have to take our stuff and leave,” he said.
"“Where are supposed to go? If I return to Delhi, I will lose all my money here. Where is a poor man supposed to go? We feel like the sky is falling on us. We all earn barely Rs 10,000 from our work here. By living here, we can save some money at least.”" - Bilal, from Delhi


Living in the Ruins

Zakhir Hussain, a native of Assam, begged the police to give him a few minutes to clear out his shop, all his documents in hand. He spent the day sitting in front of his broken down home, toddler in his arms, unsure of what to do next.

“I fell on his feet, begging for two minutes to clear my things. The JCB tore my house down. I have everything, from Aadhaar card to Voter ID, I have lost all my rations. Seventy people used to eat from my shop daily, I said all this. They didn’t listen. Just asked us to get out. I have built this house with hard work, they could have told me two months earlier. I have to search for a new home, but they ask for deposits like Rs 50,000-Rs 1,00,00, where will I get the money from? For now, I am sitting here,” said the 28-year-old.

Without a roof over their heads and seeking respite from the scorching sun, some took shade under the surrounding shrubbery. 

Everywhere, one could see bare frames of huts, scattered belongings and the day-to-day objects that make up a home. Attempting to pick up the pieces of their now destroyed homes, families could be seen gathering drums, mattresses, television sets, etc and moving them to a safer space.

Several adults were at work, coming home to the horror of a life destroyed in hours. Employed largely as domestic help, guards, parking attendants, etc, working in nearby software parks and apartment buildings, the earning average at Rs 10-15,000 per month. “We are living here out of compulsion. If we are chased from here also then where do we go?” asked one senior citizen.

Unable to make immediate arrangements, some continued living in the ruins of their homes.