Attempt of Land Jihad on the land of Shri Dnyanagiri Swami Maharaj Trust in Miraj foiled by devout Hindus

• Unauthorised construction stopped and land sealed through administrative intervention

• Trust land had been usurped through an unlawful agreement made in collusion by religious fanatics

• Warning of severe protests if the encroachment is not removed within 30 days

Miraj (Maharashtra) – A religious fanatic named Altaf Ghulam Hussain Maner had initiated an attempt of Land Jihad by carrying out unauthorised construction through collusion and unlawful means on the open land of Plot No. 57 on Shivaji Road, owned by the religious and historical heritage institution Shri Dnyanagiri Swami Maharaj Trust. In this regard, the legal battle undertaken by devout Hindus and trustees has finally succeeded. The administration has intervened and stopped this unauthorised construction. The office of the Charity Commissioner at Kolhapur has sealed this land and ordered that the construction be removed within 30 days.

Conspiracy to usurp the land by violating the conditions of the gift deed

The said land was donated to the Trust in the year 1934 through a gift deed by the late Mr Daulatrao Kharat. Even though the deed clearly stipulated that “the land cannot be used for any purpose other than the original objectives of the Trust”, some accused trustees allegedly colluded to lease the land to Altaf Maner. Reportedly, Maner colluded with Ananda Devmane, Ramesh Karande, Mahadev Kurane, Baban Satpute and Vishal Satpute, and initiated a serious attempt to usurp the Trust’s land.

Administrative action and victory of Hindutva activists

The Assistant Charity Commissioner, Kolhapur, had issued an interim order prohibiting any construction on the land. Despite this, the religious fanatics continued the construction in defiance of the order. Following complaints filed by trustee Mr Anil Satpute and devout Hindu Mr Shivprasad Satpute, on 13th May Inspector Ragini Khadke from the Charity Commissioner’s office, along with officials from the Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad Municipal Corporation administration and the Police, visited the site and halted the unauthorised construction. In this matter, the founder of Shivpratishthan Hindustan, Sambhajirao Bhide, informed Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil about the incident. Patil instructed the administration to cooperate in this matter. As a result, the Police and administration adopted a positive stance.

Strong outrage among Hindus

Due to this act by the religious fanatics, strong outrage is being expressed by the entire Hindu community, various devout Hindu organisations, the Charmakar community and devotees of Shri Dnyanagiri Maharaj. Devout Hindu activists including Anil Satpute, Shivprasad Satpute, Sardar Satpute, Raju Satpute, Vinayak Dabde, Shrikant Raymane and Rajendra Patil, along with many members of society, have warned that “if this unauthorised construction is not removed within 30 days, a severe protest will follow.” Society members have also demanded that the role of the concerned accused trustees, as well as certain officials who avoided implementing the order, appear suspicious, and strict departmental as well as legal action should be taken against them. A further demand has also been made that protecting the property of religious trusts is the responsibility of the administration, and strict and immediate action is necessary to prevent such incidents in the future.

The revered spiritual guide of Sanatan Sanstha, HH Bhaktaraj Maharaj, regarded Shri Dnyanagiri Maharaj as his Guru. Shri Dnyanagiri Maharaj himself had invited HH Bhaktaraj Maharaj (Baba) to Miraj on several occasions. Every year, HH Bhaktaraj Maharaj would visit Miraj and conduct a Bhandara event at the math.