A recent eviction drive near Bengaluru has triggered a political storm and led to talk of ‘bulldozer raj’ being established in Karnataka.
The Karnataka government’s decision to demolish around 200 houses has left hundreds of people, mostly from the Muslim community, homeless.
The demolitions were carried out by the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) on December 22 at Fakir Colony and Wasim Layout in Kogilu village, near Yelahanka in north Bengaluru.
Four JCBs were used in the operation, under supervision of over 150 police personnel.
Even as the Congress-helmed Karnataka government claimed that the houses were illegally constructed on government land near a lake adjoining the Urdu Government School, residents alleged they were not given prior notice before being evicted by police force, according to an India Today report.
Many of the affected families complained of sleeping in makeshift shelters on streets and battling harsh, cold conditions.
Some of the displaced residents lived in the colony for two-three decades and possess valid Aadhaar cards and voter IDs.
Besides protests by the affected residents and outfits like Dalit Sangharsha Samithi, a massive war of words has erupted between the ruling Congress and Kerala Left Front, which has accused the grand old party of normalising ‘bulldozer raj’.
Some of the agitated residents also demonstrated near state Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda’s residence.
Kerala CM slams ‘anti-minority politics’
The sharpest criticism came from the neighbouring state, as Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called out “anti-minority politics” of the Congress.
“Sadly, the Sangh Parivar’s anti-minority politics is now being executed under a Congress government in Karnataka. When a regime rules through fear and brute force, constitutional values and human dignity become the first casualties,” Vijayan said in a post on X.
V Shivankutty, another Kerala minister, compared the Karnataka government’s “inhumane action” to the Emergency era.
“Those who came to power in the name of secularism and democracy are once again exposing their hypocrisy by destroying the shelters of impoverished people,” he said.
“The Congress carries a blood-soaked history of human rights violations and mass killings in post-Independence India. The cruelty now being displayed by the Congress government in Karnataka is reminiscent of the Emergency era,” Shivankutty said.
The CPI(M), which sent a delegation to the eviction site, formed an anti-demolition committee to help the affected families.
“The houses were demolished within no time, and the people were not even allowed to take their documents and belongings… the families, many of whom have been living in the same settlement for over 30 years, were left to fend for themselves in the open,” CPI(M) said in a statement and posted images from the demolition site.
Shivakumar’s defence
Karnataka deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar responded to the criticism, saying that the area was an encroached waste dumpsite.
He alleged that the land mafia was attempting to turn it into a slum. “We gave people an opportunity to move to new places. We are not into bulldozers,” he said.
Shivakumar said that leaders should not make comments without knowing the ground realities.
“Senior leaders like Pinarayi Vijayan should know the issues in Bengaluru. We know our city well, and we don’t want to entertain slums that promote land mafia activities,” Shivakumar said.
