HALDWANI - Thousands in Haldwani city of Uttarakhand state in India have taken to the streets as they try to save their homes from being razed.
As per an Uttarakhand high court order, about 4,500 homes in Haldwani's Banbhoolpura area have been declared as built on land belonging to the Indian Railways.
Last month's court order is based on a litigation process started by a private individual.
Residents in the area contend the land does not belong to the Railways and the court's decision to evict them ignores their legitimate rights.
The matter has now gone to India's Supreme Court and if the state high court's decision is upheld, more than 50,000 people, the vast majority of them Muslims, risk becoming homeless.
"I was born here. I saw my grandfather living here. The land where we live has been ours for decades," 74-year-old Nisar Ahmad told Bernama.
Uttarakhand, ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was carved out of Uttar Pradesh as a separate state in 2000.
Haldwani in the Nainital district is one the region's key commercial cities and located about 270 kilometres from India's capital New Delhi.
The Banbhoolpura area is home to people belonging to diverse income groups.
Some parts are congested and run-down while others have wider roads, well-built houses and business outlets.
The area looks sufficiently connected to municipal water supply and power lines.
"We have documents of our properties, we pay taxes and utility bills," said Aneesur Rahman, a man in his 40s.
The area, measuring about 4.5 square km, has 15 private schools and a number of government-run schools with a combined enrollment of some 4,500 children, according to a list prepared by activists.
There are 10 mosques, 12 madrasas and four Hindu temples.
"For 63 years it has been my home. Now we are being told we live on encroached land. We are hopeful of getting justice from the Supreme Court," said Abdul Mateen Siddiqui, an office bearer of the Samajwadi Party in Uttarakhand.
The Uttarakhand court order has come as a shock to people with many worried about their livelihoods and children's future. - BERNAMA