Slumlords' real estate nexus, callous cops "responsible" for Mumbai gangrape of local environmental activist

By A Representative
The Mumbai-based civil society organization, working on house rights issues, Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan (GBGBA) has said that the gang rape of an environmental activist living in a slum community in Mumbai is the direct result of her fight against illegal uprooting of mangroves in the area.
The woman was sexually assaulted by five men on Sunday, one day after her complaint led to the demolition of their illegal hutments on the green patch at Sai Dham Nagar in Kandivali’s Charkop area.
Insisting that the Mumbai police is also responsible for this gruesome incident, GBGBA said, the cops showed “callousness” by failing to take steps “which would have avoided such a heinous crime.”
GBGBA said, “Generally, every informal settlement in Mumbai has a strong and active nexus of slumlords and local police which is involved in illegal selling of government and private plots to poor working class of the city to construct their dwellings.”
Pointing out that “this nexus controls water and electricity supply”, GBGBA, in a statement issued on Thursday said, it “sells plots by cutting mangroves and fill the marshy land with debris.”
GBGBA noted, “Members of this nexus also harass women living in the community and in nearby areas physically and sexually”, adding, “This nexus takes full advantage of the helplessness of poor working class of the city who due to the unavailability of cheaper housing option fall prey to slumlords.”

Illegal shanties destroyed because of the woman's complaint

“Slumlords control these mainly marshy areas, and allow construction of huts only when they are paid some money”, GBGBA said, adding, the police is “directly involved” in this racket.
These things are continuing despite the fact that, GBGBA claimed, its activists made several complaints to the local police stations of respective areas, complaining cutting mangroves, public consumption of hooch, and harassment of women.”
One who was engaged in conserving mangrove cover in the area associated with the Anyay Nivaran Bhrashtachar Nirmulan Paryavaran Sanrakshan Sanstha, on Saturday she lodged a complaint with the local forest department about the shanties which came up, with unauthorized structures being sold for as high as Rs 12 lakh.
Local activists said, the woman was assigned the task of monitoring mangroves. After her complaint on Saturday, the structures were demolished. The men involved in the gang rape “began filming her from the window to terrorise her.”
Then, she was dragged outside and was hit with an iron rod. She was thrust to the floor and raped. Her mother heard the commotion, arrived at the spot and called the police. All this happened between 3.30 and 4.00 pm.
Taken to the nearby Ambedkar Hospital, where she received stitches on her face and ribs, local activists complained, the police didn’t inform the hospital about her case.
Meanwhile, the victim has accused the police of being hand-in-glove with those responsible for raping her. Her lawyer has said, the police official on duty at Charkop police station, Mahadev Tukaram Bhonsale, didn’t register the FIR on time. Five persons were booked only after an FIR was filed on Monday.

Comments

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

Bangladesh alternative more vital for NE India than Kaladan project in Myanmar

By Mehjabin Bhanu* There has been a recent surge in the number of Chin refugees entering Mizoram from the adjacent nation as a result of airstrikes by the Myanmar Army on ethnic insurgents and intense fighting along the border between India and Myanmar. Uncertainty has surrounded India's Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport project, which uses Sittwe port in Myanmar, due to the recent outbreak of hostilities along the Mizoram-Myanmar border. Construction on the road portion of the Kaladan project, which runs from Paletwa in Myanmar to Zorinpui in Mizoram, was resumed thanks to the time of relative calm during the intermittent period. However, recent unrest has increased concerns about missing the revised commissioning goal dates. The project's goal is to link northeastern states with the rest of India via an alternate route, using the Sittwe port in Myanmar. In addition to this route, India can also connect the region with the rest of India through Assam by using the Chittagon...

Search This Blog