Several houses near Rayasandra Lake in Doddanagamangala, on the southeastern outskirts of Bengaluru, were demolished on Friday on grounds of encroachment.Jagadeesha G., Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban, stated that residents had encroached upon the lake area by submitting forged documents, which led to the clearance drive.“Since I assumed charge as Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban, nearly 300 acres of encroached government land have been reclaimed. Even here, people had occupied the lake area using fake documents,” Mr. Jagadeesha said.However, residents accused the government of targeting innocent people. “We have been paying taxes on our properties for years. If these lands were encroached, why did the authorities continue to collect taxes from us?” questioned residents, who staged protests against the drive carried out.“Many of us still have unpaid bank loans taken for building our houses. Now, with our homes being demolished, where are we supposed to go?” lamented a woman whose house was among those razed.Published - September 12, 2025 07:52 pm IST