Iskcon rubbishes land grab charge

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Bhubaneswar: In the wake of demolition of some structures of Iskcon temple, the spiritual organization Sunday rubbished the claims by the authorities regarding encroachment of national highway property by it.
A joint team of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhubaneswar Development Authority and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Saturday razed a part of the structure allegedly encroached upon by Iskcon. Scuffle ensued during the demolition which left six persons injured including some onlookers at the spot.
The Iskcon authorities told reporters Sunday that the said land which originally belonged to the organisation was occupied by the National Highway authorities at the time of road expansion in 2012. However, the temple authorities had opposed the move and did not receive compensation money of Rs.43 lakh till this day. Later, they moved the court over the dispute and a case has been pending at the High Court. The organisation has opposed media reports mentioning the land as ‘encroached’.
The temple committee members alleged that the demolition of the Iskcon structure was intentional as there are other illegal structures along the stretch from CRP square to Jayadev Vihar which were not touched. However, the structure close to the Iskcon temple, which belonged to the temple, was razed.
The members also denied the allegation that some Iskcon disciples started pelting stones at the authorities. They only retaliated when some mischief mongers began throwing stones at the peaceful protesters at the spot. They also alleged that some miscreants used bamboo sticks and indulged in violence in the presence of the police, the temple committee members pointed out.
The temple authorities also rubbished reports published in a section of the press about the “disciples manhandling news reporters covering the event at the spot”. They also lamented that the authorities demolished the structures at short notice without giving them time to shift the sacred structure.