Protests continue against demolition of Ravidas temple in Punjab

Chandigarh Protests continued at many places in Punjab on Monday by Dalits over the demolition of a temple dedicated to Guru Ravidas in New Delhis Tughlakabad on the directions of the apex court Protest marches were taken out by Dalits in Nawanshahr where shops remained shut Meanwhile leaders from the Congress BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal said they would help resolve the issue amicablyCommenting on the demolition of the temple believed to be on the site visited by Guru Ravidas around 1509 during the reign of Sikander Lodhi Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar extended his partys support to the Ravidas communityHe however appealed to the protesters to ensure that the common people were not adversely impacted as a result of their protests In a statement issued here on Monday Jakhar said the party stood by the community and would help in every possible way to pursue the case for the reallocation of the historic site and the reconstruction of the templeHowever in the interest of people he urged the Guru Ravidas Jayanti Samaroh Samiti which is spearheading the protests not to block roads and highways as that was causing hardships to commuters Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and Hoshiarpur MP Som Parkash too described the demolition of the temple unfortunateHe said he would meet the Lt Governor of Delhi and if required prime minister for resolving the matter and getting the land reallotted for the temple Addressing a press conference at his residence in Phagwara on Monday before leaving for New Delhi Som Parkash said the demolition of the structure had hurt religious sentiments of all sections of society not just Dalits Religious places and monuments of historic importance should not be tempered with the BJP leader said adding that they were seized of the matter and doing their best to find a way out I had written to the Delhi Lt Governor on July 17 bringing to his notice the representation by Sant Kulwant Ram president Shri Guru Ravidas Sadhu Sampardai Society pleading against the demolition of the 500year old structure the minister addedHe further said the Lt Governor in his reply on July 30 had informed him that the vicechairman of the Delhi Development Authority DDA had been asked to look into the matter and take appropriate actionHe released copies of both letters to the media The minister said a lapse had occurred at the level of the local committee of the temple as it had not informed them in time After getting information I along with Congress leader Shamsher Singh Dullo met Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot who took up the issue with Hardeep Singh Puri Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Parkash saidCalling upon all parties to rise above the political lines for resolving the issue Parkash said We all will meet the Delhi Lt Governor and if need be the prime minister for settling the matter to the satisfaction of the Dalit communitySince it was a state matter related to the DDA the Lt Governor will be approached first he said Commenting upon call for a shutdown on Tuesday by the Dalit community he said people should not adopt a provocative path like it Shiromani Akali Dal president and Lok Sabha MP Sukhbir Singh Badal too condemned the demolition of the temple saying their party was ready to help rebuild the temple at their expensesHe said the SAD would not tolerate the insult of religious gurus and will take up the matter with the Union government It was a matter of faith for millions of followers of Guru Ravidas in and outside Punjab he said in a statement at Chandigarh The SAD firmly stood with followers of Guru Ravidas he said vowing to resolve the issue at the earliest by taking up the matter with Home Minister Amit ShahDelhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautan sought Prime Minister Narendra Modis intervention in ensuring that the land be given back to the community to rebuild the place of worship The AAP minister in a press conference in New Delhi said the Delhi Development Authority DDA in the presence of a police force demolished the structure on Saturday morningThe DDA in a statement issued on Monday however did not use the word temple and said the structure was removed as per the orders of the Supreme CourtThe standing semipermanent structure was dismantled peacefully without any resistance or use of force in the presence of Guru Ravi Das Jayanti Samaroh Samiti members the DDA said in the statement The DDA said the apex court in a case titled Guru Ravi Das Jayanti Samaroh Samiti vs Union of India had on August 9 observed that serious breach has been committed by the Guru Ravi Das Jayanti Samaroh Samiti by not vacating the forest area as earlier ordered by the courtTherefore the Honble Supreme Court ordered that the premises be vacated tomorrow and the structure be removed by Delhi Development Authority DDA with the help of police it saidPunjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had on Sunday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modis intervention to pacify the situation as Dalits had called for a nationwide shutdown on August 13 besides observing Independence Day as black dayCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever