Pakistan comments on Kogilu slum demolition; India rejects remarks
Bengaluru: Pakistan has reacted to the demolition of slum homes at Kogilu in north Bengaluru, prompting a strong response from India’s Ministry of External Affairs, which rejected the comments and questioned Pakistan’s own record on minority rights.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office reportedly issued a statement alleging that Muslim homes were being demolished in Bengaluru with state backing and also referred to alleged attacks on Christians, calling the developments a matter of “serious concern”, The New Indian Express reported on Wednesday.
In a strong reply, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reportedly said, “We reject the reported remarks from a country whose abysmal record on this front speaks for itself. Pakistan’s horrific and systemic victimisation of minorities of various faiths is a well-established fact. No amount of finger-pointing will obfuscate it.”
Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D K Shivakumar said senior national leaders would respond to Pakistan’s comments. On questions about the evicted residents possessing identity cards from multiple states, he said officials would verify the details.
Asked if all evictees will be accommodated, Shivakumar said, “We will rehabilitate only genuine and eligible evictees. We will provide housing only to eligible locals.”
The controversy arose after Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) demolished around 160 houses at Fakeer Colony and Wasim Layout in Yelahanka, reclaiming about five acres of land valued at ₹80 crore. BSWML plans to set up a biogas plant and animal rendering unit in the space.
According to the report, the demolition soon turned into a political issue, with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan accusing the Karnataka government of bringing “bulldozer raj” to Bengaluru and alleging suppression of minorities and Dalits. CPIM from Kerala too started visiting the demolition site.
In a sort of damage-control exercise, All-India Congress Committee General Secretary KC Venugopal, who is said to be a chief ministerial candidate if the United Democratic Front wins in Kerala, asked the Karnataka government to mitigate the problem, ahead of Kerala going to the polls in April-May of next year.
Following the developments, the Karnataka government has decided to provide accommodation to eligible evictees under the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation scheme and temporary shelter at Byappanahalli, officials said.
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Expelled Cong MLA Mamkootathil gets bail in sexual assault case
Pathanamthitta(Kerala) (PTI): A Kerala court on Wednesday granted bail to expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil in the third sexual assault case against him, in which he was arrested earlier this month.
The bail was granted by the Pathanamthitta District Sessions Court, which was considering an appeal filed by the MLA against a judicial magistrate's court that had denied him relief, stating that the allegations against him were serious and that he had "similar antecedents".
The third sexual assault case was registered against the Palakkad MLA under Sections 376 (rape) and 506(1) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), following a complaint lodged by a woman from Kottayam district on 8 January. He was arrested in the case on January 11 in Palakkad.
The Kerala High Court and a sessions court in Thiruvananthapuram had earlier protected the MLA from arrest in the first two sexual assault cases, which were registered based on complaints from two different women.
