After another case of attempted land encroachment in the Whitefield neighbourhood, D D Malgonkar, brother of eminent writer Manohar Malgonkar, has been keeping vigil on his nine-acre property. This, when the  82-year-old has already managed a court stay against repeated attempts to grab his property.

According to Malgonkar, in May 2006, seven plots measuring 10 acres and 20 guntas on the southern side of his property — on old sy nos 1 and 2 and new sy no 5 in Pattandur Agrahara Village in K R Puram Hobli — were purchased by Col Mohinder Singh Khaira and Rama Venkata Reddy.

According to the documents, the vendor is M Thyagarajan Nair, who had bought the property from George Vincent Lobo. What followed, in the words of Malgonkar’s son Takesh, was an attempt to “expand” Khaira and Reddy’s property and encroach upon their land.

The Malgonkars claim that the actual extent of the property purchased is just 6.38 acres but the accused were trying to grab their property by claiming ownership of 10 acres and 20 guntas. They also allege that Khaira and Reddy had “bought” the property using fake documents and without transaction of any sale consideration.

In September 2006, a road that separates the two properties was closed at both ends, following which Malgonkar registered a complaint at the Whitefield police station. On the evening of May 6 2007, around 50 people brought down the fencing posts at the southern boundary of sy no 6/1A, owned by Malgonkar, and also broke the gate. The police reacted late to the encroachment, alleges Malgonkar.

Malgonkar has managed to obtain a court stay that restrains anyone from interfering with possession of the property. “Since the stay is on, there have been no further attempts to bulldoze through our property, but you never know what they are up to,” says Takesh. While the sought police protection has been elusive, the family is banking solely on the court stay.