25-year-old Ghousiya says her family is being harassed to vacate its home next to Janardana Reddy's hotel
25-year-old Ghousiya says her family is being harassed to vacate its home next to Janardana Reddy's hotel
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SITE FIGHT: The three-star hotel of Janardana Reddy |
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The Khan family |
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Their home ransacked by goons |
Chief Ministeru00a0B S Yeddyurappa is not the only one to have been asked to shift out in recent days by Janaradana Reddy, the mining baron from Bellary who along with his brother Karunakara led a rebellion in the BJP against him. M Ghousiya Khan is fighting the tourism minister to save her Hospet home, next to which stands Janardana Reddy's three-star hotel awaiting inauguration.
Unlike Yeddyyurappa, Ghousiya's battle continues.
Reddy's men, led by member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) B S Anand Singh, are said to have harassed Ghousiya (25) to try to force her to out of her home. The site on which her home stands is now worth Rs 1.25 crore, but Ghousiya said her family was being asked to vacate its abode for Rs 4 lakh.
Police apathy
And, instead of accepting her complaint of harassment, the police have filed a public nuisance case against her.
"The story is not difficult to understand," said Ghousiya. "In Bellary district, the Reddys are unquestionable lords and there is nobody to protect the poor like us. Even the police are against us."
Janaradana Reddy started building Enoble India in Hospet in 2004. But a thatched hut and a tyre vulcanising shop next to it seemed to rather spoil the posh hotel's appearance. Reddy allegedly asked his men to clear the hut, but the family was in no mood to get dislocated.
The home and puncture shop in question stands on 2,508 sq ft, with most of the portion remaining unused. Ghousiya's father M Chand Basha (52) runs the puncture repair shop, and his elder sister has a dispute with him over the ancestral property.
While a civil case is pending in court, Anand Singh and his men are said to have influenced Chand Basha's sister, Fatima Bi, to harass the members of his family to make them vacate the property.
Ghousiya, who is doing her diploma in gynaecological medicine, is the only one in the family with the education to fight for the family's rights. She is a member of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Anodlan, and the state convener of the organisation, Nagma, stands by her.
On September 7 this year, Anand Singh allegedly came with his men to pressure Ghousiya into vacating the house. He allegedly snatched the keys and threatened to kidnap and murder her if she did not comply.
Offered peanuts
She said she was offered Rs 4 lakh for the property worth more than Rs 1 crore, and she refused. At mid-night, Ghousiya went to police station, but she says the police told her it was too late to take down her complaint. She went back the next morning, but found the police had booked her under Section 107 for creating public nuisance and disturbing the peace.
Inspector Krishnamurthy, of the Chitwadgi police station, said, "We had to book her because the family was fighting over the property and they were disturbing others. After all, a three-star hotel is coming up and it calls for a decent atmosphere in the surrounding."
He said there was no evidence of Anand Singh or Janardana Reddy, or anyone, harassing the family.
"In fact Anand Singh is convincing the family to sell the property. They need not give it away free of cost. I also asked them to accept money and sell it, but Ghousiya is not listening to anybody and that is the cause of all problems," said Krishamurthy.
He added that the property was not worth more than Rs 5 lakh; but local authorities said the market value of the site was Rs 5,000 per sq ft, as it was in a commercial area.
With the police refusing to take down her complaint, Ghousiya approached the district administration, only to end up running from pillar to post. The family alleges it has since come under attacks from strongmen several times, and the harassment continues in one form or the other.
The Other SideAnand Singh, Vijaynagar MLA in Hospet and a close confidant of Janaradana Reddy, said, "There is a family dispute over the property and we only tried to help them solve it. If they sell it, it would be not only better for the hotel, but also two warring sides, as they will both get money. However Ghousiya is not cooperating." Janradana Reddy was not willing to comment on the issue, only saying that the hotel would be inaugurated shortly.
