EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Sept 16: Shiv Mandir Committee, Ashok Nagar Jammu has condemned the attempt being made by some land grabbers, and some others moving in the guise of Sadhus, to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere of Satwari area and their attempt to grab Shiv Mandir property and the role played by administration in violating the sanctity of the temple by burying the dead body of one such person in the temple premises.
This was stated in a press conference by Shiv Mandir Committee and some prominent citizens of Jammu. The press conference was addressed by Retd Sessions Judge, Pavitter Singh Bhardwaj, President Jammu Provincial Peoples Forum and Shri Amar Kshatriya (Rajpu) Sabha J&K, General Secretary of Society Vijay Sharma, local Councilor Pawan Singh and the counsel of Shiv Mandir Society, Advocate Rameshwar Singh Jamwal.
It may be mentioned that a MES employee of UP, namely Govind Ram, who used to repair the electric connections in the Mandir, after retirement from service, donned the saffron robes and started laying claims to Mandir property few years ago and styled himself as Mahant Govind Giri, which was resisted by the management committee and locals, who had constructed this temple way back in 1974 after a great struggle.
The said Govind Giri (his actual name was Govind Ram and had a family and was a MES employee, posted in Jammu) had forcefully occupied one room in the temple premises and obtained a stay order, for which a suit is still pending and there is one more case pending against him in the court of Sub Judge Jammu, in which the court had restrained him from interfering in the affairs of Mandir Committee, way back in 2003.
It was he who wanted to raise shops in the Mandir and a contempt petition made him to abandon that idea. On Saturday, the said Govind Ram expired and at the behest of some property dealers and some of his so-called disciples and co-conspirators, an attempt was made to bury him in Mandir premises, which was resisted by the Mandir committee but the administration caved in under threat of these so called religious preachers and his body was forcibly buried in the Mandir premises and now the same persons are circulating false videos and news items and defaming the actual worshippers and custodians of the Mandir and want to grab the Mandir property.
More than fifty prominent persons of Ashok Nagar were also present in the press conference and warned that if the administration does not oust the land grabbers and fake sadhus from Mandir premises, the situation can turn explosive. |
