What lead to Academy flare-up
From P.P.S. Gill
Tribune News Service

DEHRA DUN, Dec 5 — What was projected as a rampage against Guru Ram Das Academy here on December 2, basically turned out to be an ownership dispute over "20 bigha zamin" vacated by Tibetans.

What heated up the atmosphere is the involvement of certain local BJP politicians out to grab the vacated property for which the Academy has claimed to have paid Rs 10 lakh to the Tibetans.

The target of the local grabbers was not the Academy premises but the newly acquired land around which the Academy had built a boundary wall to establish its ownership.

Inquiries reveal that parties to the acquired land do not possess title deeds establishing their ownership rights. But that is a different matter.

What spoiled the atmosphere and disturbed the academics was when a mob carrying lathis and weapons raided and went on the rampage. Considerable damage was inflected on the building in the area vacated by the Tibetans. However, no damage has been done to the main building of the Academy. But the net result of this ugly incident has created a hurt feeling among the local Sikhs and has shaken up the Academy staff and students.

As a consequence of the December 2 incident, the students are in a grip of a fear-psychosis. There is an eerie silence. Tell-tale signs of damage done to the property are visible all over. The presence of policemen around is of little comfort and consolation to the Academy staff and students. A feeling of insecurity prevails in the Academy.

The incident does infringe on the security rights of a minority community but does not, seemingly, impinge on its religion nor any religious connotations should be attributed to the happenings.

Says Academy's Director- Principal, Waryam Singh: " Nearly a 200-strong mob, carrying lathis and weapons raided the campus on the afternoon of December 2 around 1.10 p.m. It went on the rampage, ransacking doors, windows, cupboards, flower-pots and the Academy's stores, scattering students' belongings all over. The securitymen were beaten by the mob. Even two staff members, Navtej Gill and Harbans Singh, were manhandled.

"In the melee a "nishan sahib" was uprooted and damaged by the hired elements. Some Sikh literature, studies and books were torn and burnt. All this created panic. When confronted, the mob leaders used abusive and threatening language.

"Frantic efforts to contact and call the police were made. It did arrive, eventually, but to no avail. It was a mute spectator. It sided with the hooligans".

"Asked to name those suspected of involvement in the attack, the Director alleged men like Mr Harish Sehgal, Mr Surinder Aggarwal, Mr S.R. Nautiyal (he is president of the Zila Panchayat), Mr Rajinder Shah, MLA, and others were involved in the attack.

From the circumstantial evidence and the look of the dilapidated building, the prime target of the mob, it is apparent, was the "nishan sahib" which was uprooted. Since there is no gurdwara, no desecration of the holy Granth Sahib took place. Thus there are not many subscribers to what the Academy Chairman, Mr Raja Singh told Akali Leaders in New Delhi on December 3, as reported in a section of the press.

When the police was asked about the two incidents, the uprooting of the "nishan sahib" and the destruction of holy books, the Superintendent of Police, City, Mr Ashok Kumar Raghav, mockingly asked "Where is the nishan sahib usually put up? Why was it hoisted on a disputed property? Was there a Gurdwara?"

Later, the district magistrate, Mr P.K. Mohanty, and the SSP, Mr Anand Kumar, denied any disrespect to the holy book. "No religious issues are involved. It is a pure and simple case of property dispute. Neither side, claiming to own the land, has, so far, shown papers to prove their respective claim. We want to see who has the ownership title and in whose name mutation has been done. The revenue record will determine the ownership. It is for civil court to decide", said Mr Mohanty.

The TNS team sat through while the district magistrate first met a deputation of the Academy and later the BJP men, including Mr Sehgal, Mr Nautiyal and their lawyer, Mr A.S.Bindra. Neither side could show the relevant papers to prove their ownership claim.

Mr Mohanty told TNS that in view of the sensitivity of the matter (and since it had found an echo at the national level) the administration had decided to "attach" the land under Section 146 of the Cr. PC. The two parties were issued notices and the police has filed a report under Section 145. This means the disputed property will be taken over by the administration till a court decided the case. Pending the final outcome, as to who should finally get possession of the land, such an arrangement is expected to cool passions.

The issue has found a mention in Parliament. There has been condemnation from various quarters. The SGPC is reportedly sending a team to assess the situation. The Akali leadership has got in touch with the BJP allies in New Delhi and the U.P. Chief Minister, Mr Kalyan Singh , has been asked to "intervene".

Slogans raised by the mob and linking of the incident to the Akalis' opposing the inclusion of Udham Singh Nagar in Uttaranchal shows the psyche of the BJP leaders and the hired men. These are dangerous signs.

The city, in general, went about its business as usual with no tension. One did hear voices that such an incident if not handled with political maturity and administrative firmness, fairness and in a spirit of complete neutrality (which is missing) the whole thing could snowball into a major religio-political controversy.

Aware of such a fallout, both Mr Anand Kumar and Mr Mohanty told TNS that adequate police was being deployed to maintain law and order to ensure peace. But the experience of the TNS team is different. After a round of the Academy as the team moved to the old building surrounded by a handful of policemen and hired men of the BJP leaders loitering there, it was physically stopped. The team was not allowed to take photographs or see the damage. Even before TNS could argue with them one of the hired man dialled a number on his cell-phone. On the line was Mr Nautiyal. Despite being told who we were, he passed orders to his men "dhake de kar inko bahar nikaldo" (push them and throw them out). The TNS was threatened with dire consequences in the presence of the police, which remained unconcerned.

The attitude of the SP city, Mr Raghav, was no better. When all this was brought to his notice and the request made to be allowed to go to the actual place of happening, he developed cold feet and dithered.

The administration has registered two FIRs (first information reports); one on a complaint from Ms Lata Gupta, Estate Manager, of the Academy and the other from Mr Harish Sehgal, who claims ownership.

The first FIR (No. 234/98) is against Mr Sehgal and Mr Surinder Aggarwal, who have been charged with "criminal trespassing" and a "raid" on the Academy. It lists following Sections under the IPC: 147, 148, 323, 379, 427, 452, 447, 448 and 506.

The second FIR (no. 233/98) is against Mr Raja Singh, Chairman of the GRD Academy. It covers such Sections as forgery, fraud and threat to life. The Sections include 420, 468, 471 and 506.

Mr Anand Kumar said no one had been rounded up or arrested from either side. While it is for the court now to decide about the "real" owner, the Academy has in its possession a "sale deed" it executed with some persons who were said to be the descendants of the original owners whose names appear in the revenue record. This was done seven years ago. But mutation has not been done.

The other party alleges that Mr Raja Singh is in the habit of "grabbing" land by putting up "nishan sahibs".

The present tussle started no sooner the disputed property was got vacated from the Tibetans, who had been occupying it for several years. The Academy "negotiated" and a handsome sum of money Rs 10 lakh, was paid. After this Mr Harish Sehgal became active. Any involvement, therefore, by him and others would have involved the Tibetans which was avoided as a tactical move. The Academy meanwhile got the land bulldozed and constructed a boundary wall reportedly with the orders of the Civil court.

The present episode may cast a shadow on the Academy's founder's day on December 30.

The land under dispute has a prime location. Its market value is around estimated at Rs 2 crore.

Dehra Dun has nearly 200 educational institutions, including about 65 such academies, to which students flock from all over. "Land gabbing is a common crime and an organised mafia operates", disclosed the District Magistrate.

The Academy's Board of Directors includes Mr Raja Singh, Capt Amarinder Singh, Mr Ruskin Bond, Mr Kawaljit Singh, Maj-Gen A.S.Pathania, Dr Amrik Singh and Mr Akal Singh of the USA.

The Academy has a student strength of nearly 450, out of which 100 are girls. Nearly 70 per cent students are non-Sikhs. There are 80 NRI students all from different religions and communities.

The Academy was established in 1989. It is being run by an educational trust in the name of "Guru Ram Das. It has a 6.5 acres campus, situated 9 km from here on the Rajpur-Mussoorie road. Located in the foothills of the outer Himalayas, surrounded by deep forest this lovely, peaceful place has now sent tremors all around.