Bengaluru’s Hebbagodi police on June 18, 2022 lathi-charged Bengali-speaking migrants living in Bengaluru’s low income neighbourhoods, in an alleged bid to forcefully evict them from their homes. Incensed residents condemned the police for trying to label them as Bangladeshis despite presenting the required documents to prove their Indian nationality.
Nearly a month ago, police raided homes of Bengali-speaking migrants in Karnataka’s capital city under the pretext of an “anti-Bangaldeshi drive”. The Hebbagodi police joined in this raid and allegedly destroyed private property. Residents had barely recovered from this uncalled-for violence when on Saturday, two police personnel once again visited the Hulimangala area near Electronic City.
Two constables, one of whom residents allegedly identified as Viresh, assaulted residents Rabbani Sardar and Anees with lathis. The Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute confirmed that Anees had suffered injuries to his hands and thighs, while Sardar suffered blows to his hip.
“I was in the office when the police came and demanded that we vacate the place, threatening to light the place on fire,” said Anees.
Anees even showed his documents from Delhi proving his nationality as Indian. However, he said the police refused to acknowledge the documents and called him a Bangladeshi. Meanwhile, the women said that the officers entered the kitchen and destroyed the food being cooked for children.
The community had come from Bengal and settled in Bengaluru, taking up work as sanitation workers. Members earned daily wages by picking up rags and segregating waste.
Yet, police allegedly threatened them with beatings and jail time, if they did not vacate the land within hours. One woman resident demanded how the government planned to provide for them – Indians – if they planned to evict legal Indian nationals.
What is even more shocking is that land-owner and BJP worker Syed Ilyas, recognised that the community lived in the region since 2014 and had migrated from West Bengal, as per a Deccan Herald report. The community is a mix of Hindus and Muslims. The newspaper reported that police cut off electricity and water supply lines and dug up a part of the road. They also allegedly tore the documents identifying the citizens as West Bengal migrants. Higher officials denied any such incident.
Similarly, on May 21, residents accused the police of targeting people based on their religion. Police officials barged inside homes with batons and demanded that people leave the area immediately. Some even accused men police officers of frisking women.
Like in the Saturday incident, The News Minute reported that police ignored Aadhaar documents and simply asked people to leave the city.
This was in sharp contrast to the treatment given to Dommasandra ‘s Bengali Hindus. While they too suffered a raid, the 26 or so families were left alone after they showed their documents to the police proving them to be Hindu migrants. All of these migrants belong to the Malda-Murshidabad region of West Bengal. Yet as per Hindu and Muslim accounts, the officials only targeted the Muslim migrants.
Such targeting of Muslim community has become common since the Khargone demolition in April. Parts of Delhi and Assam too reported such demolitions. However, more aggressive forms of these bulldozer-tactics are surfacing after the June 10 protests. Notably Allahabad’s local activist Javed Mohammad’s wife’s ancestral house was destroyed on the pretext of land encroachment. Various cities are now seeing protests by people demanding action against such state-sponsored violence. Latest was a peace campaign by Mumbai’s Haq Hai group that appealed to all Muslim to peacefully yet assertively decry the bulldozer politics.
Related:
Indians stand united, don’t allow Hate to prevail over Harmony
Distance dissent from hate! Haq Hai appeals to the Muslim community
Bulldozer Injustice: Homes of alleged June 10 protesters to be demolished in UP?
Bengaluru Police raid, tear down homes of Bengali Muslim migrants