BBMP anti-encroachment drive: Bengaluru couple threaten to self-immolate if home demolished

As the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike(BBMP) continued its encroachment removal drive to remove properties constructed on the Storm Water Drains (SWD), a couple in K R Puram threatened the officials that they would self-immolate if they proceed with the drive.

The couple, identified as Sunil and Sona Singh, employees of a private firm and residents of Gayatri Layout in KR Puram, held on to a petrol can and threatened to immolate themselves. In a fit of emotion, they poured petrol on themselves and held out a match stick threatening to self-immolate if their home was demolished.

Also Read: Demolition drive resumes in Bengaluru after Karnataka HC raps BBMP

According to sources, the house owned by the couple has encroached 2 metre into the drain and the BBMP officials had marked it for demolition after a survey.

Both the Bengaluru City Police and the BBMP officials are at the spot trying to pacify the couple. The BBMP officials claimed that the owners had also been served a notice.

The police and the officials had to resort to using water cannons to prevent any fire mishaps. The officials were seen pulling the couple inside after spraying water at high pressure to prevent them from burning themselves.

K R Puram police station inspector detained the couple in the station for a few hours. "They had taken a loan to construct their house and were clearing the loan in small amounts. The couple has two children and said that this is the only shelter they have. We will reason out to the couple and leave them in some time," the police inspector told DH.

Following the floods the city witnessed last month, the civic body is on a mission to remove encroachments across the SWD in the city and has identified over 600 such encroachments.