Grabbing of temple lands in 2 dists sparks protests
Hundreds of people of Hindu community form a human chain in Jessore town yesterday demanding recovery of temple land from grabbers and punishment to the criminals who injured eight devotees and damaged altar of the temple.Photo: STAR
People of Hindu community held separate programmes in Jessore and Madaripur town yesterday demanding recovery of temple lands from illegal occupiers and punishment to the criminals who injured devotees. Hundreds of people joined a human chain at Daratana intersection in Jessore town yesterday in protest against grabbers' attack on devotees at a Kali Mandir at Khathaltola village under Moshimnagar union in Monirampur upazila of Jessore, reports a correspondent. After the programme under the banner of Khathaltola Sarbojanin Kali Mondir Committee at noon, they submitted a memorandum to the land minister through deputy commissioner. "Area of two-hundred-year-old Kali Mandir at Khathaltola village was 33 decimal which was mentioned in the land records of 1927 and 1962. But in 1979 one Akkel Ali in cooperation with some dishonest government employees leased the temple land," Khataltola Sarbojanin Kali Mondir Committee Secretary Nimai Chandra Kundu said at the human chain programme. "Since then, worship at the Kali Mondir has been done on a three decimal land. On March 10, some local goons led by Akkel Ali, Hazrat Ali and Rajab Ali tried to make a room on that land. As the Hindu devotees protested, the criminals attacked them, injuring eight people. They also demolished the altar," he said. Devotees demanded exemplary punishment to the attackers and return of the mandir land. A correspondent reports from Madaripur: The committee to recover the endowed property of Sarbojonin Kalimata Mandir at Madaripur Puran Bazar has announced a four-day programme to press for their demand to recover the endowed property of the temple from illegal occupiers. The programme, announced at a press conference at Radhagobinda Mandir at the town yesterday afternoon, include mass communication today, staging a sit-in in front of Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan's house at the town, demonstration on Saturday and sit-in in front of the deputy commissioner's office on Sunday. Following a February 18 High Court to recover the property from illegal occupation, Madaripur district administration on March 16 issued a seven-day notice to the grabbers to remove their illegal structures. But the grabbers managed a show cause notice on the deputy commissioner from a lower court.
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