HYDERABAD, Sept 24: Residents of Rashi Ghat area held a demonstration outside the press club on Sunday in protest against demolition of houses by the City taluka municipal administration.

On Saturday, residents of the area had strongly resisted an anti-encroachment operation and police had registered a case against more than five dozen people.

Speaking at a news conference, affected people accused the police of resorting to teargas shelling and damaging homes.

Human Rights Forum chairman Mehboob Sangi and affected people said that they were being dispossessed by the TMA city and police at the instance of builder mafia.

They said that the houses were ransacked and women and children were maltreated.

They appealed to MQM chief Altaf Hussain and leaders of nationalist parties to intervene in the matter and protect them against excesses of police and the builder mafia.

Mr Sangi said that the Supreme Court had stayed ejection of residents of Nusrat Colony till December 2006.

He said that despite Supreme Court orders, interested people had filed a petition in the high court and misrepresenting facts obtained ejection orders.

PPP leaders Zahid Bhurgari, Pervez Ansari, Fayaz Shah and Aftab Khanzado condemned police excesses against the residents of Nusrat Colony.

In a statement issued here on Sunday, they said that women were insulted and humiliated.