July 9: Opposition leader in the State Legislative Council Chhagan Bhujbal today demanded a CBI enquiry into the lathicharge of slum residents at Babrekar Nagar at Malvani. He was speaking at a morcha organised by the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) to highlight the issue of slum demolitions at Malvani. The morcha started from Azad Maidan this afternoon and ended at Mantralaya.

Bhujbal alleged that the lathicharge had been carried out on the government's instructions, hence it should be dismissed immediately. He added that the government was trying to vacate the forest land on which the people have been residing for the last 40 years by selling the forest land to builders. He demanded that the houses which had been demolished at Gautam Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, Damu Nagar, Appa Para, Ambedkar Nagar, Kranti Nagar and Budh Nagar should be provided with photopasses. The demonstrators also demanded that the people at Babrekar Nagar at Malvani, whose houses had been demolished, should be given compensation of Rs 1 lakh for each hut. They also said their huts should be constructed at the same spot where it existed before the demolition, and that the dishoused be provided food and shelter till the new houses were constructed.

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