Sketches made in my case too, but to no avail: HS D’Lima

Nayana Kathpalia is not the only activist to take on the city’s mighty slum mafia and pay for it. Those who have suffered like her before say the system does little to help them.

“Nothing will come of it. They made sketches of the assailants in my case too. Within an hour of them being pasted on the walls of gaothan, they were torn down,” says HS D’Lima, the 75-year-old activist from Andheri who was attacked, allegedly by the slum redevelopment mafia, six years ago. The most recent threat he received was a few months ago when he was told by mail that there is a supari of Rs5 lakh out on him for taking up civic issues.

D’Lima is doubtful something will come of the sketches of the attackers in the latest case. His disappointment in the system comes from a chain of incidents. D’Lima took up activism after watching rampant illegal constructions around him for 10 years. Authorities ignored his complaints every time. They moved only when he complained in 2004 about a cottage where two additional floors were being built.

“For some reason, action was taken in that one case. There is big
mafia operating here and they are out to kill me. The assailant had waited and attacked me with a sickle,” he recalls. “Not one arrest has been made in six years. In fact they even closed my file once without informing me,” he says. When confronted with facts in 2007, the deputy commissioner of police ordered the inquiry to resume. But nothing happened.

“I don’t think they will make any arrests in Nayana’s case either,” says D’Lima,who is a part of Citispace’s core group. He blames the builders for the attacks. “The attack on her was probably instigated by builders because the stay order on the SRA is costing them money. They may not have wanted to kill her, but they definitely wanted to scare the activists,” he says.