On the morning of October 31, bulldozers rolled into a small settlement near the KG Halli Railway Gate in Bengaluru. Within hours, a tightly knit cluster of 29 homes was reduced to rubble. The demolition drive, carried out by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) for the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project, left around 150 residents homeless and distraught.
The area was home to a largely Tamil-speaking Dalit population, with a few Muslim families, many of whom have lived here for generations, working as daily-wage labourers, domestic workers and garment factory employees. While officials insist the evictions followed due process, residents say they were given no notice and no time to move, losing everything in one morning.
The RPF carried out the eviction drive to clear what it termed as encroachments as part of work to double the railway line, an expansion linked to the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project.
Nagaraj, who has lived in the area all his life, pointed to the rubble that was once his house. “Our families have been here for 150 years,” he said. “My father, my grandfather, all of us were born here. The railway line came much later. We were here first.”
Residents say many of their homes were built long before the railway track expanded into the neighbourhood. Some said their properties were even regularised by local authorities. “The government built some of these houses six or seven years ago,” said Nagaraj. “They gave us drainage connections, loans were approved, and our houses were sanctioned. Suddenly, they say it’s railway land.”
For most families, the demolition came without warning. Sonia, a garment worker, recalls how she was cooking when the bulldozers arrived. “They didn’t tell us it would be demolished that day,” she said. “We begged them for four days to move. They refused. They demolished the toilets first, then the compound, then the houses. I was escorted out while the food was still on the stove.”
Shilpa, another resident, said officials arrived the previous evening and told them to vacate by the next morning. “We asked for two hours. They didn’t agree. When people gathered to protest, police surrounded the area and began a lathi charge,” she said.
Many residents allege they were tricked into signing papers months ago, believing they were consenting only to the removal of a compound wall. “They said they won’t demolish our homes,” said Ammu, a garment worker. “We are not educated. We signed without knowing. Then they came with bulldozers.”
Sumitra, a resident, said she has an Aadhaar card, a ration card, and an electricity bill, all with the same address. “We paid property tax for years,” she said. “Didn’t the government know we live here? Why didn’t they say anything then? They came suddenly and destroyed everything.”
As homes were razed, some residents were beaten, say locals. Parvathi alleges that police assaulted her son and grandson when they tried to intervene. “They beat the women too,” she says. “We went to ask why, and they hit everyone.” Videos captured by the residents show police using lathis as people attempted to gather their belongings.
That night, families slept beside the railway tracks, under open skies, without water or toilets. They continue to do so. “My wife and children are on the street now,” says K Venkatesh, a daily-wage worker. “Who will answer this? The MLA? The government? We have nowhere to go.”
As of Monday, November 3, several families were found camping near the railway tracks.
The South Western Railways, however, has denied that the residents were evicted without notice. Officials told TNM the operation followed due procedure and that the structures were encroachments on railway land. The police said they were only assisting the Railways during the operation.