Fire destroys 20 migrant sheds in Bengaluru while residents away for Bengal polls

Fire and emergency services doused the blaze after several hours. Local MLA Satish Reddy visited the site and ordered a detailed inquiry into the cause.

However, residents alleged that the fire may not have been accidental and suspect deliberate sabotage.

Among those affected is Rafiqul Biswas, who was earlier detained for nearly four months on suspicion of being an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant before being released following court intervention. His case remains pending before the Karnataka High Court, authorities in West Bengal having submitted documents regarding his identity.

Biswas alleged that a man identified as Meezan, suspected to have links to an illegal immigration network, had visited his godown shortly before the fire. “My wife told me he had come to the shed. Two hours later, she called again to say a fire had broken out,” Biswas said. He added that the community had only recently begun rebuilding their lives after earlier setbacks.

Adding to the tension, the police have detained several people from the settlement, including women and children, on suspicion of being undocumented migrants. Families, however, said their identity documents were destroyed in the fire.

Around six labourers, including the landowner, have been detained for questioning.

Residents further alleged that some unidentified people entered the settlement after the blaze and looted whatever remained, including LPG cylinders, taking advantage of the chaos.

The police have not registered an FIR in connection with the fire so far. However, in response to residents’ complaints, authorities have ordered the clearing of the land where the temporary settlements stood, and demolition is currently underway.

The incident comes days after a fire at a scrap godown in Lakshmipura under Gangammagudi police station limits, raising concerns over recurring fire incidents in migrant settlements across the city.