A dispute erupts between two communities in the Obra area of Sonbhadra District in Uttar Pradesh over the construction of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
LUCKNOW – Several Hindu organisations led by the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have vociferously objected to the construction of a house for a poor Muslim woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Prime Minister’s Housing Scheme).
The Hindutva groups took the lead after a dispute over land ownership and possession in the Obra industrial town in Dudhi in Sonbhadra district. The issue is related to the vacant plot of land near the Deh Baba Temple and as the tension escalated over the issue police had to intervene.
A dispute arose near the water tank in Nagar Panchayat Bhalua Tola under the Obra Kotwali area over the plot of land near the Deh Baba Temple when construction began on a house approved under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Local tribals protested the construction, leading to a worsening of the situation.
The tribal community claims that the land belongs to the traditional Deh Baba temple, and they have been performing rituals there for years. They claim that they have a lease on this land under the Forest Rights Act. On this basis, they opposed the construction, calling it an illegal occupation. Locals say that the land on which the Muslim side is constructing is inhabited land, and the tribal community is unnecessarily blowing the issue out of proportion.
Meanwhile, the Muslim side maintains that the land on which the construction was being carried out did not belong to any temple. They said their daughter was extremely poor and married in the Obra area. She got the approval for the house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Based on the approval, the construction started, but had to be stopped midway due to the protests.
As the dispute escalated, a police force led by Vishnu Prabha Singh, in charge of the Obra Karma outpost, brought the situation under control. People from both sides were detained. Police have issued challans against more than a dozen people under sections of breach of peace and rioting.
Meanwhile, some members of Hindu organisations and the BJP also reached the Obra police station, further heightening the situation.
The Revenue Department states that the disputed land is currently registered in the name of a resident and no one legally possesses it. According to the department, legal action will be taken only after the investigation is complete, and no one will be allowed to occupy the land without investigation. Currently, the area remains peaceful, but the police and administration are maintaining constant vigil.
