Yogesh K Porwar
At least 20 sheds belonging to migrant labourers from West Bengal were gutted in a fire that broke out in the early hours of Tuesday at Somasundarpalya,within the limits of Bandepalya police station.
No injuries were reported as most of the labourers had returned to their native places to vote,leaving behind a few women and children.
Those present managed to escape to safety,but helplessly watched their belongings being reduced to ashes.
The affected families were engaged in rag picking and garbage segregation for a living.
Fire and Emergency Services personnel,along with the police, rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control. Local MLA Satish Reddy visited the site and directed officials to conduct a detailed investigation.
However,suspicions of foul play have emerged.Rafiqul Biswas, one of the affected labourers whose house and godown were destroyed,alleged sabotage.
He claimed that a man,identified as Meezan,allegedly linked to an illegal Bangladeshi immigration network—had visited his godown barely two hours before the fire broke out.
My wife informed me about his visit while I was travelling to my native place.Two hours later, she called again to say that a fire had broken out,” Rafiqul told reporters.
Rafiqul also alleged that he himself had earlier been wrongly detained by police on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant and was released only after spending four months in custody following a court order in December last year.We had just begun rebuilding our lives.Within four months,we are facing another tragedy,” he said.
The police have also detained four women,two youths, and two children from the settlement on suspicion of being illegal immigrants.
They are asking for documents,but everything has been destroyed in the fire.What can we do now?Rafiqul’s wife questioned.
The affected families are now reaching out to relatives in their hometowns to obtain identity and residential documents to counter the allegations.
Meanwhile,chaos reportedly followed the incident as some local residents allegedly entered the colony and looted whatever belongings remained after the fire, amid rumours of eviction.
Police said they have secured CCTV footage from nearby areas and are investigating the exact cause of the fire.
In a similar incident,a scrap godown belonging to another migrant worker was gutted in a fire recently in Lakshmipura under Gangammagudi police station limits, raising concerns over recurring fire accidents in such settlements.
