A Bihari Ji Temple was neglected for decades and turned into ruins in Shahpur village in Kosikalan, Mathura. Following that, a conspiracy was hatched in September 2004 to take over the land that belonged to the Temple, and slowly the land was turned into a “graveyard.” The persons who were involved in the conspiracy included the then-village head, Samajwadi Party leaders, and local Islamists.
The conspiracy was unearthed in 2020 when the throne of Bhagwan Krishna was demolished overnight, and a tomb was built in its place. A local identified as Ram Avtar Singh, who was associated with Bihari Ji Maharaj Seva Trust and Dharma Raksha Sangh, informed the authorities about it and filed an official complaint. It took two years for the Police and authorities to find out the details. After finding out what had happened in over 15 years, a case was filed against two dozen people, including the then-Revenue Inspector and lekhpal (person who maintains records for land and produce).
The conspiracy was hatched in 2004
On September 2, 2004, then-village head of Shahpur Ramvir Singh, Bhola Pathan, Samajwadi Party leader Nawab Khan, locals including Asghar, Shakeel Khan, Salim Khan, Shamshad Khan, Zafar, Irshad Khan, Iqbal Khan, Hanif Khan, Ahsan Khan, Ashfaq, Nasir Pathan, Nawab Qureshi, Luqman, Aziz, Yusuf, Ahmed, Shaukat, Samsu and Deputy head Khurshid submitted a proposal to convert a piece of land to a graveyard.
#Mathura
— Newstrack (@newstrackmedia) May 9, 2022
छाता तहसील स्थित ग्राम शाहपुर गांव में मंदिर के गर्भगृह में चबूतरे पर एक मजार बना दी गयी है।धर्म रक्षा संघ ने दावा किया है कि शाहपुर गाँव मे यह जमीन बांके बिहारी मंदिर शाहपुर के नाम दर्ज है। कुछ लोगों ने 2004 में मुलायम सरकार में साजिशन कब्रिस्तान में दर्ज करा दी। https://t.co/uib0qvCgyf pic.twitter.com/IlNOcn7DOc
The land pieces with registration numbers 108/4 and 108/5 were proposed to build a graveyard. The file was forwarded by the authorities for approval to Lucknow. Ram Avtar Singh said in a statement that the land mentioned in the proposal was Chakroad, and details were changed with the help of Lekhpal and Revenue Inspector Shahpur. They changed it from 108 to 1081, which belongs to Bihari Ji Temple and the people living around it. The land usage was changed from Temple to the graveyard in the official records.
As the records were changed, they were waiting for the right time to start taking over the land. In 2019, a group of Muslims allegedly broke the well near the Temple. During the initial days of the Covid pandemic, several Muslim men from the local area went to the Temple and broke the throne of Bhagwan using sticks, guns, and other tools.
After the incident, Singh filed a complaint against unknown people for building a tomb at Temple land. The Police filed a case of disturbing the peace and initiated an investigation. As the incident took place during the Covid period, it was not a matter of priority for the Police. However, Dharm Raksha Sangh kept building pressure on the authorities to continue the investigation.
When the situation got better in terms of the Covid pandemic, Dharma Raksha Sangh came into action and sought all land records from the revenue office. Saurabh Gaur, President of Dharma Raksha Sangh, Mohini Bihari Sharan, and Ram Avtar Singh met the officials and handed over the documents to them. They informed about the manipulation done at the district level. SSP Dr Gaurav handed over the investigation to Additional SP (Dehat) Srish Chandra.
During the probe, Superintendent of Police Shrish Chandra found that the land records were manipulated at the district level to show the land as a graveyard instead of the Temple. It is notable that the Shahpur village is located on the border area of Mewat, which has a close to 50% population of Muslims. The investigation revealed that the land records of the land were changed with utmost care to ensure the manipulation did not come to light.
FIR filed against over two dozen people
A complaint was filed by Singh against two dozen people, including the Revenue officer, on July 9 in the matter. The reports named Idu, Nasir, Hanif, Shahid, Ashfaq, Rizwan, Salim, Raju, Jamal, Akhtar, Suleman alias Sulla, Aziz, Shakeel, Insad, Zahira, Mushtaq alias Musa, Jameel, and Shahid as accused in the matter.
OpIndia accessed the FIR registered in the case. In the complaint, Ram Avtar Singh said, “The accused manipulated the land records and changed the land registration number 108, that was proposed for a graveyard, to registration number 1081 that belonged to the Temple. As there was no priest appointed at the Temple, it had turned into ruins. On March 15, 2020, at around 2 AM, a local named Sureshchand saw 25-30 Muslim men entering the Temple. Many of them were identified by the locals. They used different tools to break the throne of Bhagwan and also damaged the well near the Temple.”
The complainant further added that the villagers were scared after the incident. They reported the matter to the Panchayat. When the Muslim community was called out, they started abusing and claimed that there was no temple and the land was marked for a graveyard. They also made a Mazar at the place of the throne.
Statement by the Police
Mathura Police has issued a statement on the matter. ASP Shrish Chandra said, “A complaint was filed stating land records were manipulated, and a religious place was demolished by some people. During the investigation, the complaint was found to be true. An FIR has been registered in the matter. Appropriate action as per the law will be taken.”
— MATHURA POLICE (@mathurapolice) July 12, 2022
The FIR has been registered under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 120B, and 427 of the Indian Penal Code in the matter. Notably, Section 295A has not been added to the FIR. Speaking to OpIndia, the station officer of Kosi Police Station said they have filed FIR in the matter, and an investigation is underway. No arrests have been made so far in the matter.
The authorities have said that the land ownership will be transferred to the temple administration at the earliest.
The issue was raised in May as well
This is not the first time this issue has been raised. In May this year, religious leaders had given an ultimatum to the authorities to take immediate steps to resolve the matter in 15 days. As per NewsTrack report, the religious leaders strongly objected to the construction of the tomb at the place of Bihari Ji temple and said they would approach CM Yogi Adityanath in the matter.
#Mathura
— Newstrack (@newstrackmedia) May 9, 2022
@myogiadityanath की फिर सरकार बनने के साथ ही अवैध कब्जों पर लगातार बुलडोजर का कहर जारी है। लेकिन मथुरा में छाता तहसील के ग्राम शाहपुर में मंदिर के गर्भगृह वाली जगह पर ही मजार बना देने और उसे न हटाने पर संतों में आक्रोश है। pic.twitter.com/3osEP8hE5v
Statements by religious leaders and activists
In a statement, Gaur said, “In 2004, a person named Bhola Khan and his associates turned Bihari Ji temple into a landmarked graveyard with the help of SP leaders and administration. The Hindu community living around the temple was mortified. In 2020 during Covid the time, the members of the Muslim community removed the throne of Bihari Ji and built a Mazar at that place. When members of Dharma Raksha Sangh protested, the Police took action against them as the local administration was involved. When we approached higher authorities, an investigation was initiated, and it was found the land belonged to the temple. Even the Waqf Board said the land was not allotted for the graveyard. There was a time when Aurangzeb used to demolish temples. These are Aurangzebs of a new era who have started demolishing temples and taking over the land.”
Mahant Mohini Bihari Sharan Ji Maharaj said, “They made a Mazar at the temple land. It was made with the help of local administration. The local administration under the previous government manipulated the land records and changed temple land to land allocated for a graveyard. If the administration fails to change the land ownership back to the temple, we will form a committee and approach CM Yogi Adityanath.”
Mandleshwar Swami Krishnanand Ji Maharaj said, “We condemn the construction of Mazar after demolishing throne of Bihari Ji. They are targetting Hindus and demolishing temples to build Mazar and mosques. The administration should take cognizance of the matter and take appropriate action. The land belongs to Bihari Ji. A bhavya temple of Bihari Ji should be built there.”
