KODAIKANAL: The occupants of Melvyn Cottage here, on whose complaint the municipal council chairman and two others were arrested for usurping their four-acre farm land, now live in a house they were forced to move into.In February, the cottage was demolished after its occupants were forcibly evicted from the premises.According to the family members of D C Raja Xavier, who were occupying the land, the property belonged to an Englishman, Victor Tap. Tap also owned five other properties in Kodaikanal. Before leaving for England in 1970, Tap, who passed away later, handed over Melvyn Cottage and the four-acre land to Raja Xavier.Xavier has been occupying the cottage and the land ever since. The value of the property is now pegged at more than `30 crore.He alleged that a person belonging to a north Indian community had usurped the four other properties in Kodaikanal using forged documents. Xavier said that he had tried to the cottage land as well, adding that Victor Tap had bequeathed the property to him. However, Xavier refused to leave.He was also ‘led’ into signing the power of attorney in the name of some ‘friends’ who used the documents to acquire land. Cases were pending in this regard. Seven months ago, some politicians and a mill owner of Dindigul approached the family and told them that some persons wanted to acquire the property for various purposes including the building of a film city. Pressure tactics and threats were allegedly used to evict the family.Meanwhile, there were other VIPs here who wanted to acquire this land for starting an international residential school there.When Xavier and his family members refused to accept any of these offers, the services of the police were allegedly used to arm twist the family. The pressure on the family was intensified when they were in mourning over a death in the family.In the midst of all this, on February 11, some persons had come with a lorry and a bulldozer. They allegedly threw the property of Xavier and his family into the lorry and forced them to move into a house that was made ready for them.The bungalow was then razed by the bulldozer.The aggrieved family then made representations to the authorities, including the President. Though they filed police complaints, only three persons were arrested.
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