Several migrant labourers at Thubarahalli camp were allegedly attacked by their landlord after they failed to pay rent on April 24 and again on Sunday. One of the victims, Chand Pasha, 35, approached the Varthur police stating that the landlord assaulted him, his room-mate and the neighbours, including a pregnant woman who had come to their rescue.
Pasha, who was employed with a car cleaning unit at Marathahalli for the past six years, shared a room with Yakub Sheikh for which they paid ₹4,000 as rent to the landlord, Manje Gowda. He owns 60 sheds on a plot of land that he rents, said the police. Owing to the lockdown, Pasha has been unable to work.
On April 24, Manje Gowda, along with his associates, barged into the camp and ransacked their premises demanding that they pay the rent. Pasha and Sheikh tried to reason with him and said they had no money, but the landlord beat them up. “He threatened to kill them if they did not vacate the premises,” the police said.
On Sunday, Manje Gowda and his associates returned and abused the duo for not vacating the shed. When their neighbours tried to intervene, the accused assaulted them too. Following the incident, several labourers from neighbouring areas started gathering at the spot.
“Where should we go during the lockdown? The police have told us that we need not pay rent and that the owners can’t demand it, but this harassment continues,” residents said. The Varthur police have taken up a case and deployed police personnel in the area to monitor the law and order situation.
The police have registered a case and are tracking down Manje Gowda who is on the run.
