‘Vakola police misused power to detain us’

Vakola police detain seven Kailash Prabhat CHS residents planning silent protest against BMC eviction notice, sparking outrage over alleged abuse of power.

MUMBAI: The Vakola police on Thursday detained seven residents of Kailash Prabhat CHS who were planning to silently protest inside their compound against the BMC’s eviction notice following its declaring their building dangerous under the C1 category. Even before the residents could assemble for the protest, a posse of 15 police officers surrounded the society compound and proceeded to meet Mehmood Ahmed, a sixth-floor resident who was not present at the time.

Mumbai, India - June 13, 2024: The residence of the Kailas Parbat building today announced a stage protest in the premises of the building, but the Mumbai Police denied permission for the protest and detained some people before the protest, 500 residents in Kailash Parbat CHS adjacent to BKC junction to be rendered homeless, as BMC will come armed with police protection on June 19 to evict them after court ordered demolition of the C1 category building in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, June 13, 2024. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

By 2.30 pm, the police allegedly picked up seven residents at random and detained them for four hours. Residents called it a “gross misuse of power”, as they were not using a public road but their own society compound to resist the BMC’s eviction notice.

HT first reported on June 12 on the plight of 500 residents from Kailash Prabhat CHS who were living under the threat of the BMC’s plans to evict them on June 19, 20 and 21 using police force. Three buildings inside the complex had been declared “dangerous” by the civic body and slated for demolition. The residents had contested this, moving the court with five structural audit reports which stated that the building came under the C(2b) category, in need of repairs instead of demolition.

With the builder, who has planned redevelopment of the 66,000 sq-ft plot refusing to provide alternate accommodation or rent to the residents, 89 families who own flats measuring 500 sq ft will be dishoused on June 19 when the BMC disconnects their water supply and electricity. Kurla, next to BKC, is now a prime location and eyed by builders.

The people detained by the Vakola police were Sudhir Upadadhya, Anil Upadhyaya, Deepak Bhai, Parvez Abdul Majeed, Noor Khan Raju, Khalil Khan and Baitullah Khan. Baitullah, not even a resident of the colony, was one of the spectators on the scene when the police arrived. “I live in Kapadia Nagar, not Kailash Prabhat, but I was detained by the Vakola police for reasons best known to them,” he said.

Abdul Noor Khan, a resident of Kailash Prabhat, said that he had just finished reciting namaz and entered the building when the police declared, “Inko utha ke le chalo (Pick him up).” “I wasn’t even aware of the protest,” he said. “Besides, it hadn’t even begun. If at all it had happened, it would have happened inside the building. Why are the cops detaining people for a silent protest planned inside the building?”

Senior PI Prakash Khandekar did not meet this reporter when she visited Vakola police station. When contacted on the phone later, he said, “They were detained because they were protesting inside the building compound.”

Harried women already spending sleepless nights on account of the threat of losing their homes went to the police station to meet their detained spouses. “The police are restricting our movement inside our own building premises,” said Shaheen Fazal Mehmood. “Don’t we have a right to speak up for our homes? We were planning our dharna in our own society compound without disturbing anybody or misusing public property. The BMC says it is not their concern. Then why are they unleashing the police on us like this?”