Mangalore: Woman, child forcibly evicted by police, officials at Shirthady
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (EP)
Mangalore, Mar 18: In a heart-rending incident reported at Shirthady near Moodbidri on Tuesday March 18, a woman and her toddler were rendered homeless, after police and revenue officials evicted them as the house was built illegally on government land.
The revenue officials not only forcibly put her out of the house, they even razed down the structure and seized some of her belongings.
The house was located at Moodukonaje Acharibettu in Shirthady gram panchayat limits. Anganwadi assistant Malathi Poojarthi and her small child were evicted by the officials, and it is said that Malathi got injured during the eviction and is undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Malathi had borrowed Rs 15,000 from Dharmastala Rural Development Project and constructed a temporary hut with the help of cement sheets and raw materials. She had applied to the Shirthady panchayat for a door number and the house was given door number 6-66A in March, 2013. She had even paid tax for the years 2013-13 and 2013-14.
It is learnt that Malathi's husband works in a hotel in Mangalore. She separated from him sometime back and built the house herself.
The revenue officials who visited her on Sunday, had orally asked her to vacate the house. Malathi who got scared, met the tahsildar on Monday and requested him not to demolish the house.
However, the revenue officials raided the house on Tuesday at about 7.30 am. Frightened, Malathi held on to her child and the kitchen stove and pleaded the officials to let her stay in the house.
Sources said that the police who entered the house pushed Malathi and her child out of the house and the revenue officials demolished the structure after seizing the household items. They reportedly threw utensils and holy pictures too.
The locals who rushed to her rescue were allegedly stopped by the police. Revenue inspector Somashekar, Moodukonaje Padukonaje village accountant Usha, Puthige village accountant Kishore and Marpadi village accountant Shanker participated in the operation.
The sight of police circle inspector Anantapadmanabha, SI Ramesh Kumar, two police jeeps and two CRPF groups consisting of more than 50 police personnel created a tense atmosphere in the area. Police stopped people from going to Acharibettu road from the main road. The presence of so many policemen to evict a woman and her young child created fear among the locals.
The angry locals said that despite the presence of many illegal houses in Moodukonaje and Padukonaje area the government officials had not responded to complaints. "There are no replies to enquiries under RTI Act. But the poor are evicted from the houses they build. Is there a different law for the poor and the rich?" questioned Mahendra Mayilodi, social activist.
The officials said that took action following a complaint. If there are other illegal houses, those too will be demolished, said tahsildar Mohammed Isaac.
BJP district vice-president Umanath Kotian, who rushed to the spot after hearing the news, visited Malathi in the hospital and enquired about her health. He said that the action of the officials against a helpless woman is condemnable. “The officials have attempted to kill her. Such officials should be suspended," he said. He urged disciplinary action against the policemen who were involved in the operation. BJP Mandala president K P Sucharitha Shetty, leaders Bahaubali Prasad, Sudarshan M, Nagaraja Poojary and others accompanied Kotian.
The locals have come forward to help Malathi by giving her temporary shelter till she is able to find a house to stay.