According to officials, the families had been residing on government land for the past few years and were flagged during the ongoing verification drive. Hindu organisations alleged that the occupants were Rohingya or Bangladeshi nationals who were illegally settling in the area and availing benefits of government schemes. Their complaint, submitted to the Barela police station about ten days ago, demanded immediate removal of the group.
Members of the organisations claimed they found tents, luxury vehicles and Aadhaar cards issued from different states when they visited the settlement. In one case, a single individual possessed three Aadhaar cards from separate locations, prompting calls for a detailed probe into documentation and identity.
However, an inspection by the administration and police contradicted the allegations. Officials stated that the people living in the settlement belonged to the nomadic Banjara community, known for frequent movement across regions. Many had taken up local work, including small contracts awarded by the Gram Panchayat, before the land encroachment came to light.
District authorities confirmed that the land on which the families had erected tents was part of government-owned property, triggering the eviction drive. “Encroachment cannot be allowed on state land. Verification of documents will continue as part of routine procedure,” an official said.
VHP publicity chief Sumit Singh Thakur urged the administration to conduct a thorough examination of the documents recovered from the settlers, asserting that due diligence was necessary to prevent misuse of welfare schemes.
Further verification of identity records is expected to continue under the SIR framework.
