Bengaluru, Jul 6: Tension prevailed in Matadahalli, RT Nagar, on Tuesday when the Army arrived to reclaim land on which the government had built three upper primary schools, one high school and a junior college. More than 1,700 students study in the five institutions.
The estate court officer passed the order under Section 5(1) of the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971. The dispute dates back to 1987.
Ishrath Sultana, vice-principal of the government junior college, had appealed against the order in a civil court, which dismissed it and upheld the estate officer's order.
The order said the school authorities and the department of education did not act when they were served notices in the past. "There was a proposal to give alternative land in Koramangala, but upon inspection, it was found unfit," the order noted. Students, parents and teachers of the five educational institutions that stand on Army land in Matadahalli in RT Nagar spent more than three hours protesting against Army officers' attempts to reclaim its land.
The Army, on Tuesday, sent unarmed officers around 3pm, when the school and college had closed for the day, to reclaim its land, following a court order issued on June 14.
However, the school authorities did not vacate the land and kept students on the premises to force the Army personnel to leave. Tension escalated when parents, worried at their children not returning home, started streaming into the school.
Around 6.30pm, about 500 students from the primary school and junior college, some parents and 60-odd teachers stayed back to protest. Army officers offered tea and biscuits to the children and requested the parents to leave the premises with their wards, but they continued to protest.
Department of public instruction commissioner Sowjanya and primary education department director K Anand could not get either of the parties to step down.
Primary education minister Tanveer Sait arrived later and met the Army officers. He told them: "The ownership of the land is clearly yours. Officers from the education department have not acted promptly and have misguided the government. We can arrange for alternative land..., but please let the schools continue."
Army officers then communicated that the schools can open on Wednesday. The land was given to the Army by the Mysore Maharaja in 1895 to build a school for soldiers' children. "From 1905, the government began running the school. Over time, the land was encroached upon," said an officer.
Sait confirmed the land had indeed been given to the Army. He ordered the suspension of block education officer (north) Ramesh and department of public instruction director HK Manjunath with immediate effect. "Other officers who misled the government will also face action. Although the order was passed on June 14, the officers kept the government in the dark," he said.
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