Vrindavan, 2015.11.07 (AU): Greedy speculators looking to profit from rising land values in Vrindavan continue to wreak havoc in the holy town.
On Thursday night, a group of 50-60 armed persons occupied the Nepali Bhajan Ashram in Rajpur near the Chamunda Devi temple and evicted the residents by force and spreading panic by firing gunshots. A number of students, sadhus and widows who attempted to resist the invasion were beaten and have been hospitalized at the government hospital on the Mathura Road. The thugs then proceed to raze the buildings using backhoes and bulldozers.
The ashram has been in existence for more than 150 years. It is one of the oldest Nimbarki Ashrams in Vrindavan established by Bhagavat Sharan Ji Maharaj and which has long been a shelter for bhajananandis and brahmacharis.
The land of the Ashram was disputed and said to have been claimed by the pujari of the neighboring Chamunda Temple.
Angry people from the neighborhood blocked the Parikrama Marg on Friday morning. They only let traffic through when the City Magistrate Vijay Singh and SP City Shailesh Pandey assured them that stern action would be taken against the culprits and that the Bhajan Kutir will be rebuilt. The Secretary of the Rajpur Bhajan Ashram Seva Sansthan, Balkrishna Devacharya has filed a complaint with the police.
Court cases have been going on over the ashram properties for some time. Sevaits Bihari Lal and Murarilal who have been claiming ownership of the land are said to be behind the aggressive action. According to witnesses, at approximately 1.30 a.m. on Friday morning, Bihari Lal and Murarilal broke through the main gate with a gang of 50-60 people. At the time of the attack, approximately 40 people were sleeping on the premises.
The attackers were armed with sticks, batons, pistols, rifles and other weapons. They beat the residents, from children and students to widows and aged monks as they chased them off the grounds. Balkrishna Devacharya told the press that several of the students were tied around the neck by ropes and taken to rooms near the Chamunda temple, where they were held captive and and beaten .
A group of sants including Gopal, Shyama Sharan, Kanhaiya and Kishoridas were forced into a Maruti car and kidnapped. Balkrishna Devacharya said that he called the emergency hotline number several times for assistance, but the police did not respond until three hours later. Injured residents of the ashram said that even after the arrival of the police, the miscreants did not stop mistreating them.
He also said that 75-year-old Madho Baba and several other sadhus are still missing and it is feared they have been buried under the rubble. The other victims say that the cowpen was opened and twelve cows protected by the ashram were stolen.
On Friday morning, as soon as the news spread, hundreds of sants and representatives of Hindu organizations, political parties, representatives of Vrindavan’s Nepalese community and the people of Rajpur village arrived at the scene and began their spontaneous protest.
Charges have been filed under sections 395, 307, 447, 448, 427, 364, 295 against Biharilal and Murarilal and a number of others in the attacking group.
On receiving information about the incident, the SP City and City Magistrate came to the scene. Both officers are jointly investigating the case. The officer in charge of the local chowki has been removed from his post. Mathura DM Rajesh Kumar says action will be taken against the culprits after the investigation produces a report.
Protestors threaten to take action
As word spread in the Vrindavan religious community of the atrocity, many of its leaders came to the scene and spoke with the police officers. Among those present were Ramdevanand Saraswati Swami, Mahant Haribol Baba, Mahant Fuldol Bihari Das and Brahmin Seva Sangha president Chandralal Sharma, Udayan Sharma, Baba Rasika Pagal and many others.
Ramdevananda Saraswati said, “This is no ordinary matter. That so many miscreants could come in such great numbers with big machines to destroy a large building in such a short time without any response from the police is something that obviously needs investigation.”
Others agreed that without police connivance such a thing could never happen. Said Chandralal Sharma, “If the culprits are not arrested quickly, we will take to the streets to protest. The law and order situation is falling apart.”
According to some witnesses, a large meeting of about 150 people had taken place in the Chamunda temple grounds on the previous day. “Obviously they were planning the attack,” said Mahant Balakrishna Devacharya.
Not the first time
According to the Amar Ujala, many such incidents have taken place over the years in Vrindavan. Amongst them are the following:
- August 4, 2007: A murderous attack on Ganesh Ashram abbot Ramjivan Das, several sants were injured
- October 29, 2007: Another attack on Ramjivan Das while on his way to court
- March 7, 2009: An attack on Bhagwat Niwas in Ramanreti, three monks were injured
- 2001: Gaura Nagar Colony, Ramanuja Das Nagar Colony resident Ram Lakhan murdered
- 2002: Gurukul Road, Manmohan Das murdered
- 2005: A Gaudiya Math monk murdered
- 2006: Gaushala Nagar resident Ramdas was murdered by strangulation
The situation has been festering for several years. The representatives of the Chamunda temple have been bringing case after case to the courts and a previous attack was conducted on the ashram. Complaints were made to the police but no action was taken.
Injured ashram residents in gov’t hospital.
Bhajan Ashram founder Bhagavat Sharan Ji Maharaj’s murti in the rubble.
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