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Christian Prayer Centre Demolished in Jaunpur, Claiming It Was Built on ‘Illegal’ Land

Over the last two weeks, police have arrested at least 18 persons, including some pastors, associated with the centre, under charges of attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy, for allegedly attacking the police and revenue officials when they had gone to survey the site.

New Delhi: Some revenue department officials on October 11 (Wednesday) demolished a Christian prayer centre in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur district, claiming it was built on “illegal” land.

Over the last two weeks, the police have arrested at least 18 persons, including some pastors, associated with the centre, under charges of attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy, for allegedly attacking the police and revenue officials when they had gone to survey the site, officials told The Wire.

This prayer centre had been in the crosshairs of right-wing groups for several years.

The demolition

On October 11, bulldozers razed to the ground the two-storey building and boundary walls of the Jeevan Jyoti Satsang Prathna Kendra, in Bhulandih village in Jaunpur, in the presence of a team of revenue department officials and heavy police force from three police stations.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Gaurav Sharma, the circle officer of Kerakat, under which the said village is located, said that revenue officials from the tehsil removed the “illegal encroachment” with the support of police.

In September, the local administration had lodged three first information reports (FIRs) against the managers of the prayer centre. One of the FIRs was filed on the complaint of a revenue official, who alleged that the campus of the prayer centre included land that had been “illegally occupied”. The official claimed that it was originally a gram sabha land, allotted for a burial ground used by some Dalit communities (called a samadhi place), as well as barren land tracts.

DSP Sharma told The Wire that the demolished site measured around 11 biswa, which is equal to around 15,000 square feet or 0.14 hectares. The officer, however, clarified that not all of the land was illegal. “The portion which was found to be legal and privately owned ‘was not touched,'” he said.

The prayer centre had been operating from the past 15 years.

When asked what prompted the police to launch an investigation about the centre, DSP Sharma said that they had received complaints on the state’s online grievance registration portal, Integrated Grievance Registration and Monitoring System.

read more: thewire.in/…/up-christian-prayer-centre-demolishe…

archive: archive.ph/X6hl2

autotldr Bot ,

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Credit: Omar Rashid Since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed power in the state, the Christian prayer centre has been on the radar of local dominant caste and Hindutva groups.

Troubles brewed for the prayer centre since the BJP came to power in UP In 2018, an FIR was lodged against Yadav and 270 others, including many of his associate pastors, based on the complaint of a Hindu Jagran Manch activist.

They were booked under various penal offences, including giving dangerous drugs and other banned substances under the garb of medicine, cheating, defiling a place of worship, inducing people to believe they will attract divine displeasure, hurting by poison, and criminal conspiracy, Though the administration barred prayers at the centre, Yadav evaded arrest and eventually got a stay in his favour from the Allahabad high court.

Hussain Ahmad, naib tehsildar, a key officer in the revenue administration, in his complaint claimed that they [the pastor and his family and associates] wanted to teach the officials “a lesson” for investigating the legality of the land.

A third FIR was lodged on the same day under Section 3 (2) (va) of the stringent SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, on the complaint of a Dalit man, Dharamraj, who alleged that Yadav had “illegally” transferred samadhi land to the prayer centre 10 to 12 years ago, through intimidation.

On October 9, police arrested Yadav, his wife, son Manish, and associates, pastor Sanjay Masih of Mirzapur and Manoj Jacob, UP president of the Christian forum, Rashtriya Isai Mahasangh.

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