MUMBAI: Ambujwadi slum in Malvani, Northwest Mumbai, had some unlikely visitors in the dead of the night. A large police contingent conducted door-to-door searches there after midnight on Wednesday, pulling people out of their houses as part of the combing operations being conducted by the Mumbai police.

Police said that about 200 people were rounded up and except for 13 who were detained, the rest were let off.

Makeshift houses

Suresh Kadam, a teenager, was woken up by the police. "When my sister asked what they were doing, the police replied that they were looking for bombs," he said. The slum, located on marshy land, has slushy, muddy pools of water everywhere. It was demolished in 2004 and most people who have returned now live in makeshift houses made of plastic and polythene sheets. Few have doors.

About 6,000 people live here now.

Mohamed Furkan and his 18-year-old son Mohammed Sultan were among those taken away by the police for questioning. "I was forced out of my house with my son and they took me to the police station and asked me my name and address. I asked them why they were doing this to me," said an annoyed Furkan, who makes a living by selling toys.

Like Furkan, Mohammed Naushad who works in a bakery, was also questioned by the police. "The police wanted to know why I was staying here. I was sleeping when they barged in," he said. Khajra Islam Khan said: "They entered my house and asked me where my husband was. They kept poking around and looking for things."

Police say the slum is unauthorised. Residents buy water and have a dirty well to wash clothes and vessels. There is no electricity or water connection. Many of the people are migrants engaged in embroidery, masonry, house painting, have small businesses or are daily wage labourers. Residents said that in 2004, even the pucca mosque and the madrassa were demolished.

Elders questioned

The combing operations did not spare the local Imam and other elders. Mohammed Mehfooz Alam (55) said the police came to his house, opened his suitcases and looked at some papers. The Imam of the local mosque, Abdul Rakib Rizvi, was also taken away for questioning.

Most people came back by this morning. "Police did not even give us a chance to ask why they were doing this. Why harass the poor?" asked an irate Alam. Many residents had been living here for the last ten years or so. After the night's operation, most people did not go to work the next day and are now afraid to leave their homes. It was a terrifying experience, said Kamrunissa.

Not everyone was similarly upset. Amar Nath, a carpenter, said the police were only doing their job.

Only those with previous police cases were kept back, the rest were allowed to return, he said.

Meanwhile, the police said that combing operations were also conducted in Azmi Nagar and other places. They say a lot of "illegal" activity went on in these "unauthorised" slums.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail