After Yelahanka, BDA demolishes 60 houses in Bengaluru’s Thanisandra

Bengaluru: After the Yelahanka demolition, Karnataka has now moved into another part of Bengaluru, this time Thanisandra’s Saraipalya, leaving dozens of families homeless in yet another heavy-handed operation.

In a predawn drive on January 8–9, the Bengaluru Development Authority demolished over 60 houses across two acres, deploying around 150 police personnel and 50 officials. Residents say there was no prior notice, and many had documents such as e-Khata and were paying property taxes, yet their homes were destroyed without warning. Families have been forced into temporary shelters at Hegde Nagar Community Hall, with basic facilities like food, water, and toilets only partially arranged, leaving them in distress.

Residents, including first-time buyers and long-term occupants, described the demolition as abrupt and traumatic. Roohi Banu, who purchased her home just three months ago, said 15 family members are now at risk of being thrown out despite having legal documents and paying large sums for the property. Another woman, Firdouse, five months pregnant, said she was pulled from the washroom as bulldozers tore through her house, leaving her and her four children without shelter. Families who had invested life savings, sold property, and even taken loans now face the destruction of their homes and livelihoods, with no clear plan from the government to support them.

This latest Thanisandra action follows the high-profile demolition in Yelahanka’s Kogilu Layout in late December, where early-morning bulldozers razed hundreds of houses, leaving nearly 400 families homeless. Residents said they received no notice before eviction and could not collect their belongings, prompting protests by civil society groups and political leaders, including CPI M and DYFI activists.

The Yelahanka episode drew criticism from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who questioned whether a “bulldozer raj” was being implemented in Karnataka. Under mounting pressure, the Siddaramaiah government announced it would provide compensation and alternative accommodation, with eligible evictees slated for flats in areas like Baiyappanahalli starting January 1. Despite these assurances, concrete rehabilitation action has lagged. Surveys to identify beneficiaries remain incomplete, and many families continue to live amid debris or in makeshift conditions without basic facilities.

The bulldozer drives in both Thanisandra and Yelahanka have sparked widespread outrage, leaving affected families struggling for shelter and highlighting the state government’s failure to deliver on promises of rehabilitation.