Yelahanaka Bulldozer Raj: Women, Children and Pregnant Residents Bear the Brunt

Bengaluru: In a move likened to the ‘bulldozer model’ of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Congress government in Karnataka has been accused of rendering nearly 200 Muslim and Dalit families homeless overnight. At least 141 children are currently living without shelter or adequate clothing in the bitter cold at Fakir Colony and Wasim Street in Kogilu, Yelahanka.

Amid the rubble of demolished homes, around 500 women, including six in advanced stages of pregnancy, are living under makeshift tarpaulin sheets tied to iron rods and concrete debris, gripped by fear and uncertainty. The demolitions were carried out based on land records issued by the Bengaluru North Tahsildar in 2017–18, targeting settlements near the Kogilu Urdu School and on the far side of an abandoned quarry.

The organisation Sangama has documented the displacement of 132 Muslim families, 32 Dalit Hindu families, and one Christian family from Fakir Colony and Wasim Street. The NGO is currently providing food and medical assistance to those left homeless. On Saturday, a DYFI team led by MP A A Rahim coordinated relief efforts in the area.

The official explanation given for the eviction is land acquisition for a solid waste management project of the Bengaluru Development Authority. The colonies are located on either side of an abandoned quarry. Fakir Colony is predominantly Muslim, with 98 per cent of residents belonging to the community. The families possess ration cards, Aadhaar cards, voter IDs and PAN cards, and had voted in the last elections. However, when bulldozers arrived at dawn, their homes—and documents—were buried under debris.

Wasim Street was developed on land created by filling the abandoned quarry and allegedly sold by real estate mafias. Families purchased plots based on forged title deeds and built homes using loans from private financial institutions—only to see them razed.

Bulldozers Returned on Friday Too

Four bulldozers accompanied by around 150 police personnel flattened the colonies in the early hours of the 20th. On the 26th, two bulldozers and police personnel returned under the pretext of constructing a boundary wall.

However, resistance by local DYFI activists and members of the Sangama NGO forced the demolition team to retreat. Sangama programme manager Nandini alleged that the timing of the operation—during Friday prayers—was a deliberate attempt to provoke unrest.