Nagpur: The District Court in Nagpur has ordered Ambazari police to register an FIR against four directors of Garuda Amusements Park Pvt Ltd for illegally demolishing Ambedkar Bhavan at Ambazari Garden. The court was approached after the police did not take any action despite a series of complaints, mainly by followers of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, over the last two years.
Hearing the petition filed by social activist Rajesh Gajghate on Tuesday, Chief Judicial Magistrate S T Dande directed Ambazari police to register FIR against four directors Narendra Jichkar, Vijay Shinde, Pravinkumar Agarwal and Pravin Jain. “Complaint prima facie shows the commission of cognizable offence. The facts indicate the need for a police investigation therefore, the police station officer of Ambazari is directed to register FIR except against non-applicants number 2 and 3, and investigate and submit a report under section 156(3) of CrPC,” the court said.
Ambazari police officials didn’t even record my statement, said the activist. The petitioners had accused non-applicants from number 2 to 7 of having committed offences punishable under Section 295 (destruction of place of worship to insult religion), 425 (mischief by causing damage to property), 120-A, 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC read with section 3 of The Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act-1984.
However, the petitioners asked the court not to proceed against the Regional Manager and Managing Director of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), who were earlier named in the petition.
The State Government had taken back 44 acres land including Ambazari Garden and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Sanskrutik Bhavan from Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), and leased it to MTDC on July 3, 2017. To make a tourism project, MTDC appointed Garuda Amusements on November 22, 2019.
Rajesh Gajghate said, “NMC constructed the Bhavan in 1975 in remembrance of Dr Ambedkar and to carry forward his works in social, educational and spiritual fields. International Bouddha Parishad was organized at this Bhavan in 1975. “MTDC was desirous of setting up tourism activities such as shops/stalls for handicrafts, products, amphitheatre, exhibition centre, food court, theme park, amusement park, recreational club, community/banqueting facilities etc on 44 acres land. Accused numbers 4 to 7 (directors of Garuda Amusements) erected high steel sheet panels as a fence on the boundary of the land to make activities going on inside invisible to the public. On one fine day the accused in collusion with accused numbers 2 and 3 (officials of MTDC) demolished the pious Bhavan illegally. Thus, they committed an unwarranted act by taking law in hand.”
Gajghate, also an activist of Aam Aadmi Party, added he lodged a complaint with Ambazari police on September 24, 2022, but nothing happened. “Even my statement was not recorded. NMC had constructed the Bhavan using public money. Demolition of Bhavan amounts to destruction of government property, which is a serious offence,” he said.
West Nagpur MLA Vikas Thakre was the first to raise the issue and demanded action. Followers of Dr Ambedkar are staging agitation at the garden for the last 101 days. Unfortunately, the government also has not initiated any action.
AAP leader Pratap Goswami said, “Over 150 complaints were lodged in this regard but police did not register FIR. Gajghate is joint secretary of AAP and organizer of Dr Ambedkar Sanskrutik Bhavan Parisar Bachao Samiti. He filed the petition on February 1 through advocate PP Damani, with advocates Roshan Bagde and Vaibhav Dahiwale. Now, the responsible persons will face action.”
Narendra Jichkar had time and again claimed that the Bhavan caved in along with around 100 trees due to a heavy storm on June 8, 2021.
