Over a month after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde raked up the Haji Malang Dargah issue stating that he was committed to the “liberation” of the structure, the forest department on February 8 demolished nearly 40 structures situated along the route of the dargah. While owners of the razed structures claim that they have been inhabiting the hills for 50-60 years, officials from the forest department said that this a regular drive and only newly built encroachments were demolished. The move comes days before the “Urs” scheduled to be held on February 24, when lakhs of devotees are expected to throng the shrine to mark the death anniversary of Haji Abd-ul-Rahman, a 12th-century Sufi saint from Yemen who is known locally as Haji Malang Baba. While the Haji Malang Dargah — falling under survey no. 134 — remained untouched, the demolitions were undertaken at approximately 40 structures situated near Sultan Baba’s Dargah, which falls under survey number 211 and is situated on the pathway leading upto the Haji Malang shrine. According to Vivek Natu, Range Forest Officer, the drive was carried out in a bid to demolish the newly built structures to prevent encroachments in the forest area. Natu told Express, “The demolitions were carried out by 40 officers along with labourers and police officers under the guidance of the Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) at Survey no. 211, which comes under a forest area. All 40 structures that were razed were newly built encroachments. This is a regular drive undertaken to remove the newly built encroachments in the forest zone.” Nasir Khan, chairman of the Peer Haji Malang Saheb Dargah Trust, told The Indian Express, “The demolitions were carried out near the Dargah of Sultan Baba — the second dargah situated on the way to Haji Malang’s Dargah and comes under Survey no. 211. Under Survey no. 211, there are nearly 350-400 homes and the gram panchayat has been collecting taxes from these homes, some of which are kachha while others are pakka. Now, the forest department has undertaken demolitions without any notice.” “They have not even issued notices to these people, who have been living here for the past 50-60 years. They should follow a certain procedure of the law before carrying out the demolitions. Carrying out such a drive disturbs the environment of the area. This drive was possibly carried out under some pressure,” added Khan. Even as locals alleged that no notices were issued prior to the drive, RFO Natu clarified, “Under the Indian Forest Act, we are entitled to remove any newly done encroachments without the issuance of any notice. This drive was carried out in view of the upcoming ‘urs’ at Haji Malang Dargah and to ensure that the tourists were not affected by the encroachments.” Responding to questions, Khan maintained that the structures which fall under the Haji Malang trust have not been affected by the drive. Perched on the lowest plateau of Malanggad, a hill fort 3,000 feet above sea level on the Matheran hill ranges, the dargah has been in the eye of a controversial storm since the mid-1980s when the local unit of the Shiv Sena led by Dighe started an agitation stating that the structure was in fact the location of an old Hindu shrine belonging to Nath Panth, on order of yogis. While the issue was subsequently put on the backburner by the Shiv Sena in the 1990s when it came to power, Shinde has now reignited the matter. Even as the shrine remained unaffected, the demolition drive has sparked tensions among the Dargah trustees, as they gear up for the forthcoming celebrations. Khan told The Indian Express that the trust has written to the forest department, flagging concerns over the “illegal” demolitions. “During the Urs, over 1-1.25 lakh devotees of Baba, including Hindus and Muslims, arrive at the shrine. Such type of demolition, days before the event, will send out the wrong message. We have written to the forest department questioning why the structures were illegally demolished.”
