Overview
- Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar said the Kogilu/Yelahanka clearances removed illegal encroachments on land designated for solid waste management and cited safety risks.
- Shivakumar told Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan not to comment without facts, rejected a communal angle, alleged land mafia involvement, and said no bulldozers were used in the operation.
- Kerala’s Vijayan condemned the removals as “bulldozer raj” that uprooted long‑time Muslim residents, a charge Karnataka leaders called politically motivated.
- AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal conveyed serious concern, urging greater caution, sensitivity and a mechanism to ensure relief and rehabilitation, with Karnataka leaders promising to engage affected families.
- Reports vary on the scale of displacement, from over 200 houses to nearly 400 families, with residents alleging lack of prior notice as CPI(M) leaders visited the site and protests pressed for immediate aid.