BALASORE:Barely days after the martyrs’ memorial at Eram in Bhadrak district was included in the tourism map of Odisha, the place is entangled in a legal conflict.
Claiming ownership of the land where the memorial and a Saheed Smruti Bhavan have been built, one Uttam Prasad Pani of the area has filed a petition in the Civil Court here. He has also fenced the entire area leading to discontentment among the locals.
In his petition, Pani has argued that the land belonged to his forefathers and hence it is his parental property.
Before being declared a tourism spot, the entire patch was being used as a daily haat. After its announcement, the Government was to develop it as a tourist destination.
Besides claiming ownership over the property, Pani had lodged a complaint with Basudevpur police against a couple of villagers accusing them of removing the fence he had set up. He sought legal action against them as the matter is sub judice.
The villagers, on the other hand, slammed Pani for falsely claiming ownership over the area and sought the intervention of district administration.
Collector Laxmi Narayan Mishra feigned ignorance over the matter. He, however, assured to take immediate action and send local Tehsildar on Monday for physical verification of the land. “We will also have to check the land records,” he added.
Eram, popular as “Rakta Tirtha”, assumes significance as a place that was frequented by freedom fighters during the Quit India movement.
On September 28, 1942, British police opened fire on a huge gathering of freedom fighters, of which 29 died and several others sustained injuries. The victims included Pari Bewa, regarded as the only lady martyr of the State. The martyrs’ memorial bears testimony to the massacre.
After the gruesome incident, Eram was designated as the Second Jallianwala Bagh of the country.