Since May 2019, members of the All Saints Church in Bengaluru have been protesting (silent campaigns from home during the COVID-19 pandemic) against the temporary acquisition of around 4,500 square metres of land for three to four years by the Bengaluru Metro Railway Corporation Limited (BMRCL). The proposed acquisition is to facilitate the construction of the Vellara junction Metro station, which will connect Nagawara to Gottigere through Shivajinagar and MG road.
The protesters told LCW that in case the BMRCL acquires the church land for construction activities, there is a risk of the church building collapsing as it was built 150 years ago with materials like sand, rubble concrete and limestone. The church premise also houses a school for 60 children with disabilities, and hundreds of people attend the Sunday mass at the church. The land acquisition will require the felling of about 180 trees, which will affect the green cover as well. The church is also used to host wedding ceremonies and funerals.
The protesters claim that as per the original Detailed Project Report, the metro line was to run underneath Hosur Road but was later proposed to be shifted within the church compound. The BMRCL has already acquired around 3,500 square metres of area in the church premises permanently for construction of the Metro line. The members of the church congregation wrote a letter to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on 16 May 2019, to intervene and persuade the metro officials to not acquire additional church land on a temporary basis.
On 5 December 2019, the Ashok Nagar Police authorities sent a notice to members of the church, warning them against holding a protest and forming a human chain on December 12 (as they had requested permission). The police noted that a similar protest by the church had earlier disrupted traffic on 26 June 2019.
The members of the church told LCW that repeated negotiations with metro officials have not led to fruitful solutions. After studying the Delhi Metro and discussing with engineers, the church recommended some measures to alleviate the conflict. These include moving the station 75 metres to the left (to prevent damage to the church property), moving the train track underground and combining Elgin and Vellara stations into one.
Officials, on the other hand, claim that the church building would not be impacted as the Metro alignment on Hosur Road is 36 metres away from the church and does not pass underneath it. They also mention that only 26 trees will be cut and some of those can be transplanted within the church premises.
Refuting the BMRCL’s claim that the Cubbon Park Metro Station was built just three metres away from the 100-year-old CTO Building in Shivaji Nagar, the church members told LCW that the structure of the two buildings are different and that the church will not be able to withstand damages caused by construction activities.
In September 2020, it was reported that the European Investment Bank, which is the financier of Bengaluru Reach 6 metro line, had scheduled to mediate talks within a month between the BMRCL and All Saints Church. Meanwhile, the BMRCL has itself decided to reduce the land area for the Vellara junction metro station to avoid land acquisition woes.
Protests against BMRCL continued until December 2021. During this period, Anjum Pervez took over as MD of BMRCL and met with the protesters along with the representatives of the environment groups to consider their concerns. In 2022, BMRCL stated that they would acquire only 166 square metres permanently and 218 square metres on a temporary basis for the project, as opposed to the earlier proposed acquisition of 4582 square meters. Moreover, only seven trees would be felled or relocated, as against over 100 trees that would have been destroyed.
The congregation of All Saints Church and citizens groups termed the decision as a “win-win for all.”
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Protection of church campus by stopping temporary acquisition of church land by Bengaluru Metro Railway Corporation Limited.
Region Classification
Urban
Type of Land
Private
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Project underway despite protests
Original Project Deadline
2023
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Yes
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Religious/Sacred/Cultural value
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Data Unavailable
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
11014
Type of investment:
Investment Expected
Year of Estimation
2011
Has the Conflict Ended?
Yes
When did it end?
May 2022
Why did the conflict end?
BMRCL in 2022 stated that they would acquire only 166 sq.m permanently and 218 sq.m on a temporary basis for the project, as opposed to the earlier proposed acquisition of 4582 sq meters. Moreover, only seven trees would be felled or relocated, as against over 100 trees that would have been destroyed.
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Environmental Law, Other
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Controversial land acquisition by the government
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Blackmail/threats/intimidation
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Ashok Nagar police issued a notice to members of the All Saints Church congregation and other members of the public for opposing the move of the BMRCL to acquire additional land.
Date of Violation
December 4, 2019
Location of Violation
Ashok Nagar
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited, Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Yes
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
No
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
All Saints Church, Church of South India (parent body of All Saints Church)
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
Tamanna is a Bengaluru-based journalist who pens features and reports on movies, politics and human interest issues. She has previously worked with News Central24x7, Business Standard and The Statesman.
