Officials in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand said Tuesday that there has been a recent uptick in tension after a man was reportedly attacked and ordered to recite religious slogans on disputed land near the Atriya Temple. The incident has raised issues of land tenure and religious freedom as well as public order in the Jagatpura neighborhood close to the Atriya Temple.
The victim, identified as Shahid, said he prayed on a barren field a distance beyond where the temple structure itself sits, one that he says has never posed a problem for him when praying. This Tuesday came when a gathering violently interrupted his routine.
Land and Action Related Arguments vs. Rival Arguments
For his part, Arvind Sharma, the Atriya Temple manager, publicly declared that such land is expressly on the premises of the temple. He explained the conduct of the intervenors and the temple management's right to prohibit any non-Hindu religious activity there. A direct response to Shahid's claim that he takes any public land for prayer.
Witnesses said that not only did Shahid face physical harassment by his attackers during the confrontation, but they were also ordered by his assailants to chant the religious mantra "Jai Shri Ram." There is a lot of public condemnation around it there which adds even more to the communal nature of this fight.
The police rushed quickly and are still looking into. In a swift response, several of the people arrested have been taken to custody by the local police. One of the arrested was notably a murder convict on parole bolstering concerns about law enforcement around the area. Police officials have urged calm and warned residents to avoid rumors or provocative behavior.
A full investigation was underway in response to both allegations of assault and questions about the legal status of the contested land, they said. Revenue records should define who can hold the records themselves, or control them, clear boundaries that will solve the problem leading to these claims and fights.
Divide people and beg for peace
The incident sparked a contentious online discussion and some local townspeople. Where one critic says that the temple’s promoters have taken some to turn to social media with support of property rights and religious propriety as the basis of the temple’s assertion of religious holiness, others have condemned bullying and coercion as unconstitutional and a religious persecution that violates communal harmony.
In Jagatpura, the police are more important there who are the guardians of the rule of law in Jagatpura, the officers of Jagatpura are keeping the community safe, and that citizens do not need to fear laws or have the rights or material possessions of others destroyed or tampered with to exercise their religion. This is such a delicate story, and one that may or may not resolve itself, but as long as it does not infringe upon the land use and religious sensitivity of other countries this case will stand as a demonstration.
