Three days after a clash broke between the devotees of the Radha Soami Satsang Sabha and Agra police, the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday asked both parties to maintain the status quo till the next date of hearing.
The incident, which took place over disputes regarding the demolition of alleged encroachment on government land saw many people injured, and has put the local administration on back-foot. The Chief Minister’s office reportedly objected to the way the issue was handled by the local officials, and even Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised the assault on the followers of a spiritual sect.
The officials of the district administration claim that area in possession of the Radha Soami Satsang Sabha is a ‘chak’ land (territory circled for revenue settlement/assessment) and should be freed for public use. The authorities of the spiritual sect, however, allege that the administration was illegally demolishing properties on their land with an aim to please the builder lobby.
