Apart from the rising incidents of love jihad, now shocking cases of ‘land jihad’ are also coming to light across the country. A recent incident from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh has forced the public to pay attention. Reports indicate that there has been an attempt to convert a temple’s stepwell into a mazaar. The historic temple is said to have been built during the rule of Rani Durgavati.
The case, according to media reports, concerns Jabalpur’s Gwarighat police station area. A centuries-old temple by the name of Badshah Halwai is built there. There is also an ancient stepwell in the temple complex. However, some Islamist elements are attempting to use “land jihad” to seize the stepwell. The encroachers have also painted the stepwell green to depict it as distinct from the temple complex.
It was reported that once the stepwell was painted green, a large number of people from the Muslim community began squatting in the area. This drew the attention of the locals. Once it became clear what was going on, Hindu organizations began gathering in numbers at the Badshah Halwai temple. Upon reaching, the Hindu organization workers saw that there had been an attempt to make the temple stepwell a tomb by painting it green.
There is a lot of anger among the workers of Hindu Seva Parishad and other Hindu organizations regarding this issue. The workers of the Hindu Seva Parishad, who reached the spot, recorded a detailed video of the stepwell as proof to be submitted later. The workers of the Hindu organization claim that Hindu symbols like the Shivling, Nandi Maharaj, the sacred Swastika, Shri Yantra, Trishul, and the statue of Lord Ganesha were clearly visible at the entrance. All of these are intricate symbols of Sanatan Dharma.
Atul Jaiswani, who is associated with the Hindu Seva Parishad, said that the entire complex, including the temple and the stepwell, belongs to the Hindu community. Islamists have forcibly occupied the temple by destroying its idols and painting it green as part of their encroachment. Jaiswani also says that the Muslim festival of Urs had been organized on the premises for the past 8–10 years, even though only Hindus have rights over the temple.
The workers of Hindu Seva Parishad have also submitted a memorandum to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in the name of the Collector in the Police Control Room, regarding this matter. The workers have demanded that the ancient stepwell be freed from encroachment. They also warned that if the encroachment is not removed within 30 days, then the workers of Hindu Seva Parishad will free the stepwell from encroachment by painting it saffron.
