State Minority Commission pulls up BMC for Jain temple demolition
MUMBAI: The State Minority Commission on Tuesday pulled up BMC officials for the hasty demolition of the 90-year-old Digambar Jain temple in Neminath Co-operative Housing Society, Vile Parle East, on April 16. The demolition happened within hours after the stay order from the city civil court ended.
'The BMC action was excessive. They should have given more time to vacate the premises after the stay order ended,' said Chetan Dedhia, vice-chairman of the Commission, who surveyed the site on Tuesday evening. The BMC action had led hundreds of members of the Jain community to undertake a silent protest march on the city's streets on April 19.
As per the survey, the BMC team reached the spot at 10 am and started the demolition at 10.15am, although the details will be confirmed after watching the CCTV footage. 'The structure was situated inside a compound; it was not in any public space. There was no issue of the temple coming in the way of any development project. Then why did the BMC act so hastily?' questioned Pyare Khan, chairman of the Commission.
On April 7, the city civil court had rejected the temple trust's plea against demolition. However, it granted interim protection from demolition for seven days for the Trust to file an appeal in HC, which expired on April 15, a day prior to the incident.
Anil Shah, a trustee of the temple, demanded that strict action be taken against all the officials involved in the demolition. According to survey, the request for police protection was made by the BMC on April 4 when the stay order was in place. 'We are investigating if any more officials were involved and we will demand action against them,' Khan said.
As per BMC records, the 2,200-sq-ft premises of the temple are categorised as a recreational ground. 'There are several discrepancies in the society, which is why it doesn't have a proper occupancy certificate,' said Swapnaja Kshirsagar, additional commissioner K East ward. 'We will issue notices to demolish all the illegal structures within the society in the next two days.'
While devotees and Rashtrasant Muni Nilesh Chandra, president of the Mahaveer Mission Trust who led Saturday's protest, demanded that the temple be reconstructed, the Commission said, 'The decision on the reconstruction can be taken only by the Bombay high court. Till then, devotees can continue worshiping at the spot, but the land will continue to remain disputed.'
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