By Anvar Dayal and Aslah Kayyalakkath
In the early hours of Saturday morning, while much of Bengaluru remained asleep, residents of Fakir Colony and Waseem Layout in Kogilu village were experiencing a devastating loss of their homes. An elderly woman, wrapped in a thin shawl against the winter chill, sat in the open, repeatedly expressing her plight: “We are fakir. We have been here for thirty years. We have voter ID cards, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards. We have all the documents that are required. And today they did this to me,” she told Maktoob.
The woman reported that she had been without food or water since morning, and had no shelter, as her home and belongings were destroyed by the authorities. “We haven’t eaten anything since morning. We have little children here with us. Look at us in the winter. We have been voting for this government for many years. We have ten votes at home,” she added, gesturing towards the location of her former house. “They did not let us take even one item from the house. Our carts were crushed by bulldozers.”
For decades, many families in this area have relied on begging, while children performed on the streets to earn some income. “We go to beg. Our children go out to perform on the road and bring money. But mostly we go to beg,” she recounted. She lamented the lack of warning prior to the demolitions. “We had no idea this would happen. If we had some idea, we would have taken some stuff. The children were out. I was all alone at home.” Her voice softened as she pleaded, “For the sake of Allah, tell us where shall we live or give us a place to live.”
Nearby, another resident observed as unfamiliar faces passed by the remnants of their neighborhood. “They have demolished our houses. Now we are on the roads with our children. There is no one in our support,” he said, adding that no official representatives had reached out to them. “No one has come till now to support us. Only media is coming. There is no one to hold our hands. Let us see what will happen.” He highlighted the scale of the destruction: “There are 125 houses. All the area has been cleared. We have got no compensation. We have been living here for 20 years. We want justice.”
Amir, another resident, expressed the depth of his loss. “We have been living here for 28 years. This is our land; our entire life has unfolded here. We grew up here. I got married here 12 years ago.” He cited the documentation that he believed should have safeguarded his home, including Aadhaar cards and voter IDs. “We have all the documents, Aadhaar cards, ID cards, PAN cards, and ration cards, and we have voted in elections too.” He emphasized that the demolitions were not unexpected, as they had faced ongoing harassment for three years. “Yesterday they cut off our electricity and internet,” he disclosed.
The demolition operation began around 4 a.m., conducted by officials from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and heavily protected by police. Reports indicated that over 400 houses in Fakir Colony and Waseem Layout were demolished. GBA officials alleged that the houses were constructed without official permission and claimed that most residents had migrated from Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh, identifying them as part of the Durvish community. In contrast, residents insisted they had lived there for nearly 30 years, possessing valid documents and were never formally notified before the demolitions.
The operation resulted in more than 3,000 people from approximately 400 families left homeless, without any compensation or guidance on where they could go next. As night fell over Kogilu, families gathered around the remnants of their former lives, clinging to documents that validated their existence, even as their homes had disappeared.
The post 4 AM bulldozers: Bengaluru demolition leaves Muslim fakir families on the streets, 3,000 homeless appeared first on Maktoob media.
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