Temple priest wants officials suspended, arrested

Sukhmeet Bhasin

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Tribune News Service

Bathinda, November 15

Shiv Naraian Shukla, a temple priest, with the support of various organisations, today staged a protest against senior officials of the Bathinda Improvement Trust over the issue of abusing and manhandling him by superintendent engineer Rakesh Garg during the demolition of shops by the Trust on Goniana road on November 11.

He said, “We have started a protest against the Improvement Trust officials as they abused and manhandled us during the demolition drive.”

He said the protest would continue and with each passing day, more and more organisations would join it.

“We demand that both Improvement Trust officials EO Harinder Singh Chahal and SE Rakesh Garg should be suspended and arrested for misbehaving and assaulting me,” he said.

Shukla claimed that he had nothing to do with the possession of the shops adjoining the temple that the Improvement Trust was trying to take but he was against the Trust taking possession of the temple land.

“We will not allow officials of the Trust to take possession of this sacred place,” he said.

SE Rakesh Garg said they were wrongly protesting as the Trust had not taken possession of any land of the temple so far. “They are creating hurdles in the government work. We have to submit report to the chairman of the Bathinda Improvement Trust regarding the incident in which they manhandled officials of the Trust when the officials were taking possession of the land. Now, the chairman has to take the decision,” he said.

Dyal Dass Sodhi, chairman of the Improvement Trust, said the protesters were trying to disturb peace in the name of religion.

He said the temple was built on the land of the Improvement Trust and the High Court had given its verdict in the favour of the Trust.