Debottor property ( Land of Deity) have been grabbed by a section of influential quarters in various pilgrimage sites in Bangladesh.
Recently tension erupted over the construction of a mosque on the land of the historic Kantajew Temple at Kaharul Police Station of Dinajpur district in Bangladesh among the sanatan people. This has created a stir in the social media.
It’s learnt that Dinajpur-1 MP Zaka, also president of Birganj upazila AL, laid the foundation plaque as the chief guest at a programme on March -1, 2024. He had contested the 7th January 2024 polls as an independent candidate and emerged victorious after defeating four-time AL lawmaker of the constituency, Manoranjanshil Gopal.
On 13 March 2024, Ronojit Kumar Singha, an agent of Raj Debottar Estate in Dinajpur, where the Kantajew Temple stands, sent a letter to the deputy commissioner, urging a halt to the mosque’s construction. According to complaint of the Raj Debottor Estate “The mosque was supposed to be built on eight decimals of land of the temple, but they took over 16 decimals and have already gathered construction materials there. The distance between the temple and the construction site is about 500 metres.” Local newsmen saw the papers relevant to the land of Kantajew Temple.
According to Khatian-5 records, the 94.07-acre land was recorded to Maharaja Jagadishnath Roy. It is located around a mile west of the road across the Dhepa river in the Kantanagar village. The land spans several plots (daags) surrounding the temple. Daag-16 is around 6.48 acres, where the mosque was being constructed.
Ronojit also said that around 63 acres of the land, according to Khatian-5, is under the possession of Raj Debattar Estate while the rest was illegally grabbed and many people have been living there with their families. “Cases were filed several times to recover the grabbed land.” The Estate committee has been paying the land tax regularly till even last year.
Speaking to The local newsmen on 23 March 2024, Dinajpur-1 MP Zakaria Zaka said, “I have come to know there was already a mosque there in 1950, which was renovated later.” The mosque was demolished just a few days before the construction of the new one began. “I was also told this entire area is situated on endowment property … The locals wanted the old mosque demolished for a new one. As per their request, I went to the foundation stone laying programme. That was the extent of my involvement here.” He further said, “I had no idea the land was recorded for the temple. I just came to know about it and my opponent is using that to defame me. “I have no objection to the government’s decision in this regard. I’ve already told them to stop construction.”
Meanwhile, leaders of Dinajpur unit of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikya Parishad expressed their dismay over the construction on the temple’s land. Swarup Bakshi, president of Dinajpur’s puja udjapan parishad and Dinajpur Press Club, said the DC suspended the work but we want a permanent solution so that such incidents do not recur. “Since the construction began, most of the basement work has already been completed.” Former Dinajpur-1 lawmaker Manoranjanshil Gopal said, “This [construction on Deity land] will definitely hurt the communal harmony.”
On 24 March 2024, The Dinajpur district administration banned all kinds of construction work on the land of the Kantajew Temple in Kaharol upazila, 23 days after the construction of a multi-storey mosque had begun there. At a news briefing on 24 March 2024, Shakil Ahmed, deputy commissioner of Dinajpur, confirmed the ban on all kinds of construction on the Kantajew Temple land. Visiting the temple area in the morning, he spoke to members of the mosque construction committee and ordered them to suspend the work. He also met the leaders of the upazila’s Hindu community at his office. At the briefing, the DC said the mosque was being reconstructed on “Debattor land” (land of the Deity) of the Kantajew Temple without any permission taken by the authorities concerned, rendering the construction illegal.
This has enraged the Hindu community in the area. The piece of land is looked after by the Dinajpur deputy commissioner’s office. Besides, there is a committee formed by the Raj Debtara Estate that looks after the supervision and maintenance of the land. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has expressed deep concern over the construction work on the land behind the temple of Kantajew, a historical archaeological monument. The council has called upon Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to intervene urgently to protect the temple’s sanctity and ensure the Hindu community’s religious freedom.
Also known as Kantajew or Kantanagar Temple, the eighteenth century brick temple is situated about 12 miles north of Dinajpur town, and about a mile west of Dinajpur-Tetulia highway across the Dhepa River. On December 4, 2015, militants attacked the temple using explosives. IS later claimed responsibility. Police pressed charges against 13 members of banned militants of JMB on June 30, 2016.
Besides this, about three thousand acres of Chandranath Dham situated at Sitakunda Upazila of Chittagong District in Bangladesh, has been grabbed alleged Principal Chinmoy Krishna Bhrammachary of Chattragram Pandurik Dham. More than one hundred acres of land of Sri Sri Adinath Shiva Mandir in Maheshkhali Upazila of Cox’s Bazar district were grabbed by some influential people, Said Manager cum Account of the Temple Laxmi Charan Dey.
About two acres of land of Sri Sri Chandi Dam and Medhas Mandir of Boalkhali police station in Chattragram district were occupied by nearby influential people. A case has been pending in local court in this regard. More than two hundred acres of land of Aparna Shaktipeeth in Bhavanipur village of Sherpur police station in Bogra district were grabbed by some influentialmen in various places of Bogra, Sirajganj and Nature districts, it’s alleged by Dilip Kumar Deb, executive member of the temple managing committee. About 1.5 acres of land of Jayanti Shaktipeeth in Kanaighat police station of Sylhet district were also occupied by some influential people.
