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…
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