Mumbai May 31st, 2012:-Despite severe resistance by the traditional fisher folk in Sion Koliwada, the Mumbai police and Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) have been going ahead with its demolition drive. The municipal officials, accompanied by the private builder, Mr. Sudhakar Shetty and a huge contingent of the RAF police today ruthlessly razed down the house of Kalpesh Shivkar of the Koliwada community. Despite the police and private security of the builder attempting to drive away the other community people who were protesting and resisting the demolition, the people were keen to stand by Kalpesh and afford support. About 50-100 women and men have been arrested while they were trying to give protection to Kalpesh’s family and neighbours whose house was demolished and needed shelter, since monsoon is at doorstep. The women were physically assaulted by the male police, who also pulled them by their hair. All this brutality by the police is totally condemnable. Surprisingly, after the demolition, while the people were trying to re-erect the houses, the builder brought in 20 muslim women to occupy the same place, which the locals questioned.

 The petition picture show Police in Sion Koliwada at 2 am. They came because the builder, Sahana Developers had called 100 and complained that the house that was demolished yesterday was being re-built by the people. So two vans of about 30 cops show up in the basti. Such an alert police! The Koli women sat at the entrance to the basti while cop van with dozing cops stood before them. While shooting, a reporter from a new news channel, Jai Maharashtra jumped in front of the camera and disrupted the shoot. Turns out that the same builder also owns this news channel.