BHUBANESWAR: Acting on the allegation of encroachment of government land, a joint team of General Administration (GA), Revenue and Housing & Urban Development (H&UD) departments on Monday raided the city-based Shree Baikuntha Dham Ashram that has landed in controversy for reportedly projecting a boy as ‘Kalki Avatar’ and disrespecting the holy Tulsi.
Officials from the GA department and Bhubaneswar tehsil visited the site at Ghatikia to ascertain if there has been any encroachment of government land. The enforcement squad of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) also accompanied the team and carried out a preliminary assessment measuring the total area occupied by the ashram.
“The ashram is located on plot numbers 9037 and 9038 in Ghatikia over an area of 0.140 acre. On verification, it was found to be government land. Action will be taken in this regard after necessary instruction from the government,” said a BDA official.
On November 13, a voluntary organisation filed a complaint against the head of the ashram Kashinath Mishra in Bharatpur police station alleging that the latter was portraying his son as a divine figure and asking people to worship him as ‘Kalki Bhagwan’.
A photograph of Mishra’s son sitting on a chair with sacred ‘Tulsi’ (basil) placed on his feet surfaced recently leading to the escalation of the controversy.
On Sunday, Khandagiri police also visited the ashram after some locals staged a protest at the site alleging that the photo had hurt their religious sentiments.
Mishra, however, has refuted the charges and claimed that the photo of his son has been morphed to tarnish the reputation of the ashram.
The Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR) has also registered a case suo motu to verify the age of the child. It has asked the police to submit a report in this regard within 15 days.