Bhopal: Goverdhan Temple 'hindering' Smart City development work demolished

Bhopal(Madhya Pradesh): A team of Bhopal Smart City demolished a major part of Goverdhan Temple at Mata Mandir on Friday triggering a protest by Sanskriti Bachao Manch.

On being informed, Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) council chairman Kishan Suryavanshi reached the spot and stopped the demolition exercise. Suryavanshi said that a team of Smart City razed the temple without issuing any notice. The team claimed that the temple was coming in the way of the development work and so was demolished, said Suryavanshi. However he claimed that even the Smart City CEO had no idea about the temple demolition.

Meanwhile, Sanskriti Bachao Manch has demanded action against officials responsible for the demolition of the 30-year-old temple saying that the action has hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindus.

The demolition team reportedly said the temple was coming in the way of a smart city development project and so it has been razed, however, the locals asserted that the temple was not figuring in the Smart City’s project map. Earlier, it was just a shed and an idol of Goddess Durga was installed 50 years ago, they added.

Protesting against the action, Manch convener Chandrashekhar Tiwari alleged that termed Smart City officials were following policy of appeasement.

“It is a 30-year-old temple. The official did not issue any notice of demolition before taking the action. We have demanded action against the officials responsible for ordering demolition of the temple. The action has hurt religious sentiments of Hindus,” said Tiwari