Claim over Birla Maidan here triggered a clash between two groups when members of ‘Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Satsang Sabha’ (GSGNSS), in a group of about 250 people, were heading towards it to put a boundary wall through ‘Kar Seva’ (Public Service) on Tuesday.
As soon as the group reached near the ground, hundreds of unidentified locals started pelting stones on them which went on for about an hour leaving more than 50 people injured from both sides.
“Heavy stone pelting took place between the two parties when one party tried to put boundary wall around Birla Maidan at around 10 am. More than 50 people have been injured from both sides, some of which have also been admitted in different hospitals in Ranchi,” said City SP Kaushal Kishore. “ASI Pushkar Singh, posted at Sukhdeo Nagar Police station has also received serious injuries and has been admitted to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), he added.
“He has been given 8 stitches on his forehead after being injured by a heavy bolder which was thrown directly on his head,” said the SP.
“Finally, police had to come in and convince both the parties to calm down and section 144 was imposed in the area as a precautionary measure,” said the SP.
“Adequate police force has also been deployed at the place to avoid any untoward situation,” he said.
Meanwhile, FIRs are being registered from both the sides along with one by the police.
“At least three FIRs will be registered in this case, two from each of the parties and one by the police as one of its official has been injured,” said Kishore.
The dispute is over 286 decimal of land which is claimed to be a property of Gurudwara Sri Guru Nanak Satsang Sabha which was said to be registered in the year 1995. The land is said to have also got mutation in the name of Sabha.
“We have the legal right over this Gurudwara Maidan, which is also called Birla Maidan, as it has been registered in the name of Satsang Sabha long back in the year 1995 for which mutation also been received by us,” said Secretary of GSGNSS Ram Krishna Midha.
Midha said that at least six persons have been seriously injured from their side out of which 3 have been admitted in Gurunanak Hospital, 1 in Seva Sadan and one in Vivekanand Hospital. “We have lodged an FIR in this case at Sukhdeo Nagar police station but the copy has yet not been given to us,” said Midha.
locals, on the other hand, said that they had to take to streets as they did not want any construction on this land as it was the only piece of land in the area in the name of play ground.“Despite the fact that the whole area has been given to the respective persons on lease, land mafias are trying to grab the only open space left in this locality,” said a local requesting anonymity.
locals want this land to be left as it is for public utility.
“In spite of leaving it an open space, they are trying to construct a school on it which is not acceptable to any of us. This is not the first time that such thing has happened. It happened earlier several times that dispute erupted when they tried to get hold on this land piece,” said the local.
One PIl had also been filed by Birla Maidan Bacaho Sangharsha Samiti, which after being pending for over 10 years in Jharkhand High Court was finally withdrawn.
The district administration, for the time being, has convinced both the parties to resolve dispute through court.
“Since both the parties are claiming on the same piece of land they have been asked to resolve the matter through mutual consensus or through court while section 144 has been imposed to maintain law and order in the area.
There is a proposal to construct Guru Harkishan Singh Public School by GSGNSS on the disputed land.