Trespassing: Fasting seer to move court against admn

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 5

Matra Sadan Ashram founder Swami Shivanand Saraswati today said he would file a case against administrative officials who entered the ashram premises late last evening without any written permission and pressurised him to break his fast-unto-death agitation.

Swami Shivanand Saraswati, while addressing a press briefing on the ashram premises, said police personnel also cut the iron grill of the room where he was agitating, which showed the “cruel and tyrant face of the administration”.

He alleged that City SP Parmendra Dobhal was not taking appropriate legal action against the quarrying mafia. Illegal quarrying was going on in the district on a mass scale but police officials were not taking any stringent measures, fueling the nexus between police officials and quarrying mafia, he alleged.

“I have no faith in administration or the state government. So I have moved to court to file a case against the administrative officials who trespassed the ashram premises and tried to forcefully break my agitation. Police is for security of the people but yesterday they seemed like criminals who were intimidating and threatening ashramites,” Swami Shivanand rued.

He has vowed not to break his agitation unless a total prohibition on quarrying is implemented in the district, the seer said.

Notably, an administrative team, led by Superintendent of Police, City, Parmendra Dobhal, Kankhal Circle Officer Manisha Joshi, Additional District Magistrate Abhishek Tripathi, Sub Divisional Magistrate Manish Kumar and Chief Medical Officer Dr BS Jangpangi, along with a number of police personnel, had arrived at the Matra Sadan Ashram late last evening.

But the ashramites refused to hold talks with the administrative team and said until a total prohibition on quarrying in the district was implemented, Swami Shivanand would not meet any administrative official or public representative.

Police personnel then forcefully entered the ashram premises and allegedly cut the iron grill shutter of the room where Swami Shivanand had locked himself.

Seeing this, Matra Sadan ashramites urged the officials to allow them to hold talks with Swami Shivanand to pursue him for talks.

Later, the seer agreed to intake water for 48 hours but said he would not give up his agitation and handed them a demand letter.

Though the administrative officials did not agree to the demand letter, yet they went back when the seer agreeing to take water.