AHMEDABAD: A priest of a temple in Kubernagar, Mahendra Minekar, committed suicide on the temple premises. Brijesh, the son of the priest claimed that there was a move to demolish the temple.
Brijesh, in a video message, said, “My father was mentally tortured by the corporation, builders, and some police officer as they wanted to demolish the temple, which was set up in 1972 by my grandfather. The area, Santoshinagar, is established because of this temple.”
Police and the civic body refuted the claims of the demolition of the temple. V N Yadav, the additional commissioner of police, G-Division, said that the cops are deployed on the request of the civic body. “The allegations by the son will be investigated. A case of accidental death has been registered,” he said.
In a purported suicide note, Mahendra asked his son to save the temple. He said that this land was his birthplace and was a sacred place for the family and the community.
The corporation issued a statement and mentioned that Santoshinagar is located on AMC’s plot in the Naroda ward of the North Zone area of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. There are approximately 475 residential slums and 22 commercial shops in Santoshinagar.
The corporation stated that recently the developer of the said work was informed to plan the redevelopment scheme by deducting an area of 1,251 square metres of the existing ancient temple known as Santoshimata Mandir. “Due to the religious sentiments of people, it was decided to keep the temple as it is, and at the same place,” the statement mentions.
