Timely intervention by the local police has not only averted a communal tension, but also made it possible for an amicable settlement of a dispute over construction of a church near Godbhaga under the Attabira police station limits.
As per information, a church was under construction by members of the Christian community at Bhaludinguri village in Dulampur panchayat. But the locals and the activists of the Bajarang Dal opposed it alleging that the construction was going on in a Government land, violating an order of the apex court that prohibits construction of any religious institutions on Government land.
Hence, form day one, there was conflict between the locals and the Christian community over the construction of the church on the disputed land. The Bajarang Dal also brought the matter to the notice of the Collector, local Tehsildar and the police. It was then decided that the construction work would be stopped till further demarcation.
Members of the Christian community argued that 50 per cent of the land where the church is under construction belongs to the Government and the rest portion is the church’s property. But locals said that the entire plot belongs to the Government.
But all on a sudden, on Saturday, the Christian people again started the construction of the church which did not go down well with the locals and the Bajarang Dal activists. Not only did they protest the construction, but also blocked the Godbhaga-Turum road for hours together protesting the highhandedness of the minority community.
However, the police led by IIC of Attabira Satish Chandra Roy and in-charge of the Godbhaga out-post Jagannath Panda rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the members of the both the communities. It was again decided that there would be no construction till a fresh demarcation was made in presence of both the communities and the local administration. “The construction work has been stopped. Both the sides honoured the decision for fresh demarcation,” informed IIC Roy.