JAISALMER: The district administration on Tuesday demolished 28 “encroachments” of temporary settlements (kachchi basti) of Hindus displaced from Pakistan who have been residing in Amarsagar gram panchayat area, 4 km from the district headquarters.
Following the forcible eviction, the migrants sat on a dharna outside the district collectorate and alleged that their homes were set on fire and brute force used against protesting women, leaving three of them with serious injuries for which they were admitted to hospital. The migrants said that until they were resettled elsewhere, they would not budge from their dharna.
District magistrate Tina Dabi said that for several days complaints were being received from the Amarsagar sarpanch and other local residents that the Hindu migrants had illegally occupied land belonging to the state government’s urban improvement trust (UIT) and were also settling in the catchment area of Amarsagar pond.
She said that 28 encroachments were removed from the pond’s catchment area on Tuesday and there remain older encroachments that are yet to be removed. She said that notices had been given several times to the migrants to vacate the land.
Dabi said that the state government had not issued any guidelines regarding the resettlement of migrants from Pakistan who had not been given Indian citizenship.
Reports said that UIT officials went with police on Monday evening to the kachchi basti and ordered to vacate the land. The next morning, the encroachments were forcibly removed in the presence of officials and police.
Kishanraj Bhil, one of the migrants who lost their home, said that the entire basti had been demolished. He said that during a jan sunwai (public hearing) earlier they had demanded to rehabilitate them first before being evicted from their homes, but on Monday at 6pm notice was served to vacate the basti.
He said that even water tanks and religious shrines were not spared and some houses were set on fire. He said that when religious shrines were being demolished, the women protested and force was used on them, in which three women — Devi Mayee, 27, Hastu Devi, 35, and Mapti Devi, 35—sustained injuries and were admitted to hospital.
Following the forcible eviction, the migrants sat on a dharna outside the district collectorate and alleged that their homes were set on fire and brute force used against protesting women, leaving three of them with serious injuries for which they were admitted to hospital. The migrants said that until they were resettled elsewhere, they would not budge from their dharna.
District magistrate Tina Dabi said that for several days complaints were being received from the Amarsagar sarpanch and other local residents that the Hindu migrants had illegally occupied land belonging to the state government’s urban improvement trust (UIT) and were also settling in the catchment area of Amarsagar pond.
She said that 28 encroachments were removed from the pond’s catchment area on Tuesday and there remain older encroachments that are yet to be removed. She said that notices had been given several times to the migrants to vacate the land.
Dabi said that the state government had not issued any guidelines regarding the resettlement of migrants from Pakistan who had not been given Indian citizenship.
Reports said that UIT officials went with police on Monday evening to the kachchi basti and ordered to vacate the land. The next morning, the encroachments were forcibly removed in the presence of officials and police.
Kishanraj Bhil, one of the migrants who lost their home, said that the entire basti had been demolished. He said that during a jan sunwai (public hearing) earlier they had demanded to rehabilitate them first before being evicted from their homes, but on Monday at 6pm notice was served to vacate the basti.
He said that even water tanks and religious shrines were not spared and some houses were set on fire. He said that when religious shrines were being demolished, the women protested and force was used on them, in which three women — Devi Mayee, 27, Hastu Devi, 35, and Mapti Devi, 35—sustained injuries and were admitted to hospital.
