FIR will be registered against cops for Jai Bhim Nagar lathi-charge: State to HC

Advocate general Dr Birendra Saraf informed the court about the government’s stand after the special investigation team constituted by it to probe the violence that accompanied the demolition submitted its report

MUMBAI: The state government on Friday informed the Bombay high court that a first information report (FIR) will be registered against police officers who lathi-charged residents of Powai’s Jai Bhim Nagar while they were protesting peacefully against the demolition of their hutments on June 6.

FIR will be registered against cops for Jai Bhim Nagar lathi-charge: State to HC

Advocate general Dr Birendra Saraf informed the court about the government’s stand after the special investigation team constituted by it to probe the violence that accompanied the demolition submitted its report.

The court was hearing of a petition filed by 28 slum dwellers from Jai Bhim Nagar – most of them Scheduled Castes – who sought the registration of an FIR under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The petitioners claim that they were allowed to construct around 800 hutments in Jai Bhim Nagar, on a plot owned by Hiranandani Developers, nearly 30 years ago; they were also provided with necessary facilities like electricity, water supply and gas connection. But some years later, the developer sought to acquire the land and offered the residents permanent alternate accommodation in Mahatma Phule Nagar. However, the residents demanded relocation in the same area in Powai while the developer’s attempt to evict them through the courts was dismissed.

On June 3, 2024, armed with an order from the State Human Rights Commission, the BMC announced its plan to demolish tenements in Jai Bhim Nagar, posting notices on a public toilet and water tank in the area, although residents argued that this did not meet the legal requirements. On June 6, the demolition began in the morning and lasted until 10:30pm, with police assaulting demonstrators, including women and children, who protested against the move.