Claiming that the occupants too, had ownership deeds, police claimed a breach of peace if CMC officers gained entry, and asked that a court order be obtained.

Located adjacent to a popular girls’ school, this land was previously occupied by shanty dwellers, who had been evicted by thugs who took powers of the previous Rajapaksa regime into their hands.

However, the CMC did not make any intervention on behalf of the land owned by them at the time.

The CMC originally seized the land on 20 August 1973 for non-payment of municipal rates.

As no application was made by any party that was occupying the property seeking the return of the land by settling the overdue payments within 12 months from the date of seizure, the property was vested with the CMC.

The CMC did not evict the squatters from the time it was seized up to 2013.

In early 2013, a minister of the then government had sent thugs, disguised as CMC officials, to force the people living there to move away from the land.