The Varthur Police registered two more FIRs against land owners and residents of the Thubarahalli labour camp in Varthur on Sunday, drawing the ire of residents and activists, who have alleged that the FIRs were an arm-twisting tactic being deployed by agencies to evict them from the land.
It may be recalled that on Thursday, hundreds of labourers, staying in Thubarahalli labour camp on Balagere Road, staged a protest against alleged forceful evictions.
The labourers alleged that the jurisdictional police, since last Monday, were forcing them to evict the place and even disconnected power and water connections.
This was after a BBMP official of Mahadevapura zone, Mamatha M.S., lodged a complaint against land owners and residents of unscientific garbage disposal.
Residents and activists allege the complaint was just a ruse for the police to intervene.
On Sunday, Ms. Mamatha lodged two more complaints and two more FIRs have been registered. Along with the land owners, Ramachandra Reddy and Shankar Narayana, the FIRs also named dwellers Abdul Hasan and Abdul Khan, charging them under the same sections.
The police have vehemently denied allegations of forceful evictions. “We have only filed cases based on complaints by the BBMP and we are not evicting anyone,” a senior police official said.
However, residents and activists continue to allege police were forcing land owners to evict them.
K. Mariyappa, district committee secretary, Bhoomi Vasathi Vanchitara Horata Samiti, alleged that migrant labourers were being harassed owing to political pressure and because they were Muslims.
“We are living in this area for the last two decades, cleaning city garbage and helping the people by donating even our blood during the pandemic. We are not living in the area for free. We are paying rent and even water and power charges. Despite this, we are under constant harassment,” Kalam Sheikh, a resident of the area said.
The colony has those collecting and transporting garbage from homes, drivers, maids, and other professions. They have now threated to strike work, which they say would disrupt normal life in the areas surrounding the colony.
“The same BBMP that is harassing us owes us money for the last 10 months, as they haven’t paid for garbage collection,” one of them pointed out.
“Local politicians and realtors are harassing us whenever they want to sell land.. If the government is so concerned let them allow us to stay in government grazing land,” another person demanded.
