JOIN USWoman dies at demolished quarters site
A 60-year-old woman, Rose Mary, who was living at the EWS (economically weaker section) quarters at Ejipura, died Tuesday evening.
The family and residents of the quarters alleged that Mary died because she was sleeping out in the cold for the past four days as her shed was razed by the BBMP. The family also alleged Mary was injured during the eviction drive.
A native of Chitradurga, Mary was living with her second daughter Shobha and her family of six children at the quarters. Shobha was the prime bread winner of the family as her husband was unemployed. Mary’s son, an electrician, earned a meagre sum. Shobha said her family lived in shed No 20 in the 18th Block of the quarters for the past 12 years.
Recalling the horrific incident during the eviction drive on Saturday, Shobha said when the earthmovers were brought to raze the sheds, using brute force, an anguished Mary, in a bid to save herself and her grandchildren, fell down and injured both her knees.
Shobha said that after their shed was razed, they had no option but to live in the open in the quarters area. Shashikumar, Mary’s son, said there were not enough blankets to protect themselves from cold.
Shobha said some activists, who promised a house and expenses to bury Mary, had taken away her mother's body. However, the Adugodi police shifted it to Victoria Hospital where an autopsy was performed. Police said the autopsy report suggested that Mary had died of cardiac arrest.
The police claimed Mary was not a resident of the EWS quarters, as she had moved out recently after receiving a compensation of Rs 30,000. They said she was living with her daughter’s family in LR Nagar.