Grabbing of temple's land sparks protest
A local influential man allegedly grabbed three out of eight decimals of land of a Hindu temple at Durakuti village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila on Friday, claiming its ownership.
The Hindu devotees of the village lodged a complaint in this regard with Sadar Police Station the same day.
Sushil Chandra Roy, president of the temple management committee, said Abdul Malek of the village and his men illegally occupied three decimals of land in front of Sree Sree Durga Mandir on Friday afternoon and erected 26 concrete pillars around the land.
Local Hindus built the temple on five out of eight decimals of land donated by Baneshwari Bala and Phulchand Chandra Barmon in 1995, he added
Contacted, Abdul Malek said he purchased the land from late Nagendra Nath 28 years ago. “I am the owner of the land as I have all legal documents in support of my claim,” he said, but could not show the documents.
Nagendra Nath's son Dulal Chandra Roy said his father sold 75 decimals of lands to Abdul Malek beside the land he donated to the temple.
“Malek didn't claim the ownership of the land when my father was alive, Dulal said, adding that Malek grabbed the roadside land of the temple considering its location and high rate.
Hindus of the village protested the matter and urged the local administration to take necessary measures to free the land of the temple.
Officer-in-Charge Mahfuzur Rahman of Sadar Police Station said Lalmonirhat Puja Udjapon Parishad has taken the responsibility to settle the matter amicably within the next few days.
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