GBA razes down 400 houses in Yelahanka, minority families including Muslims worst affected
Bengaluru: In an incident reported from the state capital, more than 3,000 people living in Fakir Colony of the Kogilu Layout near Yelahanka were rendered homeless by the officials of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) on Saturday.
The officials, who said the 400 houses were constructed on encroached land, held the operation using nine tractors and nine earthmovers, razing down the houses.
They have ousted around 90 per cent of the families who had been living in the area for more than 30 years and belong to minority communities, including Muslims from the colony.
The bereaved residents have insisted that the government had provided them land in the locality to build houses and reside. “We have all official documents as well as Aadhaar cards and voter IDs as proofs. Our source of livelihood is only manual labour,” they added.
“Many of the families had mortgaged the houses to get loans from banks, but the GBA officials have razed our houses without giving any prior notice,” they said and added, “Some of the women here are pregnant, but the officers showed no concern for such people too.”
Referring to the title deeds, the residents said that the local representatives had assured them that they would be handed the documents. “So far, however, we were not told to vacate the houses. Since the houses were unexpectedly razed, our children’s documents and other valuables in the houses have been destroyed,” the residents added angrily.
They also expressed fury about representatives failing to come to their help in times of need. “They come here only to campaign and get our votes. When questioned about the propriety of destroying the houses, the police officers assaulted us,” some of them said.
Sara Saif Saufique, one of the residents in the Fakir Colony, said, “My family has been living here for three decades, but has unexpectedly lost the house since the officers did not give us notice. They came at around 4:30 am on Saturday, when we were sleeping, and started destroying the houses.”
She said with fury, further, “The officials also forcibly evicted us from the houses, without even permitting us to gather our winterwear or blankets.”
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In MP assembly, Vijayvargiya uses unparliamentary word for LoP Singhar; CM Yadav extends apology
Bhopal (PTI): Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya stirred a controversy when he used an unparliamentary word for the Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar, prompting speaker Narendra Singh Tomar and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to express regret.
During the discussion on the motion of thanks on the Governor’s address in the Assembly on Thursday, the parliamentary affairs minister lost his cool, triggering an uproar.
While participating in the discussion, Singhar cited an agreement between the government and the Adani group in Singrauli and claimed the government was preparing to pay the company Rs 1.25 lakh crore over 25 years in the name of power purchase.
Minister Vishwas Sarang objected to this and said the name of a person not present in the House should not be mentioned, while Vijayvargiya accused Singhar of giving false information.
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Singhar hit back, saying he was willing to provide proof if needed. This led to a heated debate and exchange of accusations between the two, during which Vijayvargiya used an unparliamentary word.
Following this, opposition Congress members sought Vijayvargiya’s resignation, and amid the ruckus, Tomar adjourned the House for a while.
When the House reconvened, Tomar regretted the “uncomfortable situation”.
Referring to former chief minister Sunderlal Patwa, Tomar recalled the ex-CM would often say that anger should be visible while speaking in the House, but it should not reflect.
“Anger shouldn’t arise, but it did today, from both sides. It created an uncomfortable situation. I’m saddened by this, and both the ruling and opposition parties are responsible for this. The parliamentary affairs minister is very experienced, yet how the limits were crossed today is a matter of concern for all of us,” Tomar said and urged both sides to resolve the dispute.
Chief Minister Yadav said he apologised to the House for the words that had been uttered, whether knowingly or unknowingly.
Singhar said he respects the CM’s expression and respects parliamentary decorum. “If something has happened on my part, I also express regret,” Singhar added.
Vijayvargiya too said he has 37 years of political experience, but was unhappy with his behaviour. If people in responsible positions don't follow parliamentary decorum, how can other members do it, he asked.
“I don’t know how all this happened today. Umang’s body language was a little different... I love Umang... I am saddened by my behaviour,” Vijayvargiya said.
Later, Singhar claimed in a post on X that he always stays within his limits.
“My status is to boldly raise the questions of the 7.5 crore people of Madhya Pradesh before your arrogant government. This very status of mine dwarfed you so much that your true nature was revealed; this very status of mine forced you to debate Bhagirathpura,” Singhar said in the media post.
The abusive language used by Vijayvargiya was an insult to the people of MP, he added.
“Minister Vijayvargiya, who treats the public like insects, has truly demonstrated his arrogance. 35 families were destroyed, people were rendered homeless - and when you ask questions, you’re told, ‘stay within your limits!’,” Singhar said.
The Congress leader said public representatives have become so power-drunk that they have begun to consider themselves superior to the people.
“The very people you are trying to remind them of their place will show their true place on an election day. Madhya Pradesh will not tolerate insults. The people know how to respond democratically to an incompetent government driven by arrogance and insensitivity,” Singhar said.
MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari described Vijayvargiya’s behaviour as the height of arrogance and said this is a new manifestation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ‘New India’.
Patwari said the Congress would protest by burning Vijayvargiya's effigies. Shortly after his announcement, some Youth Congress workers burned a poster of Vijayvargiya outside his residence in Bhopal.
Recently, Vijayvargiya sparked a row when he used the word “ghanta”, a slang often used loosely to mean “nonsense” or “rubbish”, to dismiss a reporter’s question concerning drinking water contamination in Indore.
