‘Will do it again’: BJP MLA picked up by police for turning up with bulldozer to clear ‘encroachment’

On November 19, Patel and his supporters turned up with a bulldozer, threatening to evict the residents and remove encroachments from the Mahadevan temple’s land in Devra village, leading to a tense situation in the area. As soon as the JCB moved towards the boundary wall, the people living on the land resorted to stone-pelting, resulting in injuries to around four-five persons, police said.

On Sunday, local leader Santosh Tiwari sat on indefinite fast, demanding the removal of encroachment made on nine acres of land near the temple. Patel and his supporters said a local revenue court had ruled in favour of eviction but that the administration had not complied with the order.

Mauganj District Magistrate Ajay Shrivastava said, “This whole controversy was over the demolition of a boundary wall near the temple. As per the Supreme Court guidelines, a 15-day notice was given. The structure was deemed illegal by the local court and demolition orders were issued. It is important to exercise caution in sensitive cases where two communities are involved.”

On Thursday, Patel, who was taken into preventive custody, managed to speak to the local media.

He said those who had built houses on the premises had already been allotted land elsewhere by local courts, but that the residents still did not leave.

“I was compelled to remove the encroachment myself. As soon as I am released from here, I will go directly to remove the encroachments, taking 500 people along with me,” Patel said.

Mauganj Additional Superintendent of Police Anurag Pandey told The Indian Express: “The MLA has been taken into preventive custody. I have been at the spot for the past two days and have deputed a police force of around 180 officers to keep the peace. There is encroachment in this area and there are families from Hindu and Muslim communities that live here. The matter is being heard in a local court.”

BJP leader and state minister Lakhan Patel, who was dispatched to speak to the MLA, said: “I met with him. We spoke for around three hours. His only demand is to remove the encroachment.” He also said if there was any evidence for the MLA’s claim that residents of the land shouted “anti-national slogans”, then there would be an investigation.