Chhattisgarh: ‘Landlord told to evict legal aid members’

TWO DAYS after Chhattisgarh Congress held a “Save Democracy” protest in Bastar and said there was “administrative terror” in the area, the owners of houses, taken on rent by Jagdalpur Legal Aid Group as well as a journalist, have been allegedly directed by the local police to evict their tenants.

Isha Khandelwal and Shalini Gera, lawyers who run the legal aid group which fights cases for tribals, some of whom are accused of Naxalism, said their landlord, Pravin Baghel, was called to the City Kotwali Police station late on Wednesday and only let off in the early hours of Thursday, with pressure being applied on him to evict his tenants.

A release issued by the Jagdalpur Legal Aid group also said that journalist Malini Subramaniam’s landlord has been summoned in a similar fashion on Thursday. The scroll.in journalist has also been served with an eviction notice.

D M Awasthi, Special DG, Anti Naxal Operations, said, “The issue has been brought to my notice. I have conveyed to the SP that the safety and security of all citizens have to be ensured.”

However, when The Indian Express sought a comment from Jagdalpur SP R N Das, he said the police was constantly “dragged into all matters”.