BENGALURU: In a quiet corner of rural Bengaluru, a family’s peaceful life turned into a nightmare with intimidation, threats and a “complete breakdown of law and order”, as the victim Anthony Henri, a former filmmaker, said.
Henri, who leased a stretch of farmland in a rural part of Doddaballapur to raise sheep, goats, cattle, pigs and fish, was in for a nasty surprise when a group of men, allegedly backed by his landowner, descended on the farm without warning and ordered him to vacate immediately or face action. He said he pleaded for time, explaining that uprooting an entire farm’s worth of livestock and fish without adequate notice could prove disastrous.
He also pointed to his valid seven-year lease agreement for the tenancy, but said the men were unconcerned. He called the local police and filed a complaint.
Officers called both parties to Doddaballapur Rural police station and heard them out, but it brought no real resolution, said Henri.
He alleged that retaliation followed. Armed with a hammer, the men tore down his power lines and severed water supply, plunging the family into darkness and threatening far worse if he refused to leave.
Henri was once a filmmaker known for his documentaries, before a brief stint in journalism with a national newspaper. He gave it all up to lead a different life, which is now under siege. Henri’s wife, his four-year-old daughter and elderly aunt are living in panic.
“I have about 500 fish in the tank, if I remove them, it will cause a huge loss, and they will die,” he told The New Indian Express. “If I leave the animals without water, they will die within days. I could lose Rs 50-60 lakh.”
And the authorities meant to protect them? When contacted by TNIE, Range IGP S Girish admitted he had neither received the complaint personally nor met with Henri. “I will speak to the Doddaballapur Rural police immediately and sort it out,” he said.
Following the IGP’s intervention, a local police team arrived at his house and ascertained the damage, which he said is a small but significant step. For Henri and his family, the officer’s word may be their only shield through the dark nights.
