Demolition begins at Indore temple, leaves some with mixed feelings

But the Patel community, to which the 11 victims belonged, is ambivalent about the demolition of the new under-construction temple adjacent to the old one, which was carried out on Monday.

Many in the neighbourhood cite having “deep roots to the temple” for over five decades. In the 1970s, said one resident, the community received water at their homes from the well inside the old temple. This is the same well where 36 plunged to their death on Thursday.

“The well had to be shut in the 1980s after people started committing suicides by jumping into it,” said Laxmikant Patel, 63, a timber businessman. Patel is also a former secretary of the temple trust, and lost four family members in last week’s incident — his wife Diksha, daughter-in-law Kanak and aunts Ratanben Patel and Kasturben Patel.

The demolition was part of a drive to destroy illegal structures built over wells.

“My mother used to go to the temple regularly, and after her death, we started a Bhandara next to the temple in her memory,” he said.

Monday’s demolition was carried out by the Indore Municipal Corporation.

The new structure was being built by members of the local Sindhi and Patel communities. But this came under the scanner of the civic body in April last year after some local residents raised a complaint. While the municipal corporation sent the temple trust a notice, they wrote back saying any attempt to curb construction would disrupt religious harmony. In January, another notice was sent to the temple trust, this time also mentioning the stepwell.

Following the tragedy, police have booked two members of the temple trust.

Monday’s demolition is part of a drive to demolish illegal structures built over wells. Dr Ilayaraja T, the Indore collector, confirmed this: “Four such structures have been demolished so far.”

Members of the Patel community said they had reached out to the ruling BJP not to go ahead with the demolition, but in vain. “Let them do their work. We will build the temple again, this time legally,” said a resident.

Meanwhile, at the lane struck by misfortune, those left behind said they are trying to power through despair. The cornea of three of the victims were donated by their families, helping several people see for the first time in their lives.

“When my grandfather died, we donated his eyes. Now, we have donated my wife’s too,” said a distraught Kaushal Patel, 34, whose wife Kanak, 33, died on Thursday. The couple have two daughters, both under two years of age. Laxmikant Patel, too, agreed to donate his wife Diksha’s corneas.