The eviction of Muslim families in north Bengaluru’s Faqir Colony and Waseem Layout reflect the “anti-minority politics” under Congress-ruled Karnataka, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on December 26. Criticising the eviction and demolition of homes of people who had lived in the area for years, Pinarayi called it an example of the “brutal normalisation of bulldozer raj”.
“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,” he said, urging secular and democratic forces to unite against the trend.
The remarks come in the wake of the demolition drive by the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) in Yelahanka on December 20. The operation, conducted in Waseem Layout and Fakeer Colony, left nearly 400 families homeless during one of the coldest weeks the city has experienced in years.
BSWML officials maintained that the houses were built on government land and were cleared as part of an encroachment removal drive. Residents, however, alleged that they received no prior notice and were evicted with heavy police presence, leaving them to spend several nights on the streets under makeshift shelters.
BSWML Chief Executive Officer Karee Gowda said the structures were on five acres of government land. Residents showed their Aadhaar cards and electricity bills as proof of long-term residence, with many asserting they had lived there for decades.