Mangalore: “Anti-Tiger Van” protestors against MCC eviction of roadside footpath vendors, surrounded the van in a tense atmosphere lasting over 30 minutes on Wednesday in city when evictors were “stealing” vegetables and fruits of hawkers in some parts of the city around 11a.m on Wednesday.
The Horata Samiti (action committee) members were returning after a protest meet conducted in Pandeshwar against a local corporator Diwakar, for his alleged “support” to the “exploitation” of street side vendors, it was clamed, when the ‘Tiger’ van appeared and Samiti activists led by Sunil Kumar Bajal gheraoed (rounded up), but the occupants escaped by a passing jeep, leaving the Van alone with its “stolen” goods that had belonged to protestors for sale, eye-witnesses informed.
However, the Bunder police rushed to the spot to save the ‘Tiger’ van from its “assailants”, to avoid any further incidents of violence.
Sunil; told later that the “civic tiger” was looting stored goods of hawkers (gone away to join the protest meetings) from Nellikai road near State Bank Zone. The fruits and vegetables are hidden at night in some locations, but the MCC’s eviction squad members found out one such location near Intercity Hotel, and tried to load the van with the “stolen” goods. Helpless hawkers lost their all, as police did nothing to recover the missing sale goods, Sunil Kumar Bajal described the scene.
MCC has not passed any resolution on eviction so far, but ‘Tiger’ van makes it rounds on mischief. A few corporators dictate, but others are opposed to such merciless eviction drive of MCC, by street hawkers, the leader said, justifying individual corporators being targeted and tackled for their “lack of cooperation”, by these hawkers.