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Gandhian activists & social workers protest demolition at Sarva Seva Sangh
Nandlal Master, the convenor of Lok Samiti, who led the sit-in protest, emphasised that those who demolished the buildings aimed to obliterate Gandhi’s ideals.
VARANASI Gandhians and social workers on Sunday carried out a silent march by covering their mouth with a black strip and also staged a sit-in protest in Adarsh Village Nagepur, Varanasi, to protest against the demolition of at least 12 buildings on the premises of Sarva Seva Sangh, located near Rajghat in Varanasi.
Protesters displayed placards with messages condemning the move to demolish the building of the Gandhian institute and raised slogans in praise of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jai Prakash Narayan, Vinova Bhave as they marched from Lok Samiti office to Ambedkar Park.
This comes after at least 12 buildings, including the main structure of the Sarva Seva Sangh, a Gandhian organisation, at Rajghat were demolished on Saturday, amid heavy police deployment, and northern railway officials, said Sarva Seva Sangh, Varanasi Convener and senior Gandhian Ramdhiraj.
He added the demolished buildings included the printing centre, library, two large halls, Sadhana Kendra, Balwadi (children’s learning centre), study centre, guest house, and offices. Some of these buildings comprised three large rooms, while others had two-to-three rooms.
“It’s not merely about the buildings; it’s about safeguarding the legacy of Acharya Binoba, JP Narayan, and Gandhi,” said Ramdhiraj with tearful eyes. “The demolished structures were tied to this legacy, and legacies aren’t built in a day like buildings,” he added.
Ramdhiraj further said, “Former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shashtri once referred to the Sarva Seva Sangh premises as a temple of Acharya Vinoba. Since its inception, this place has been a hub of Gandhi, JP, and Vinoba ji’s ideas. Our emotions are deeply connected to it. We tried to save the Sarva Seva Sangh’s buildings but we could not. No one listened to us... As no one listened to us, we Gandhians, along with social workers and locals, took out a march in Adarsh Gram Nagepur.”
Nandlal Master, the convenor of Lok Samiti, who led the sit-in protest, emphasised that those who demolished the buildings aimed to obliterate Gandhi’s ideals. He added that Gandhi’s ideals would persist, and they were determined to establish even more centres like this one. “Books will be published again, libraries will be restored. We will engage with the public and convey the truth, and our fight for democracy will continue,” he asserted.
Village head Mukesh Kumar affirmed, “We will persistently protest like this to safeguard our heritage.” Among those participating in the protest were Nandlal Master, Mukesh Pradhan, Ramdhiraj Bhai, Jagruti Rahi, Anoop Shramik, Sharmila, Ishwarchand, Amit, Rajesh Singh, Priyanka, Rachna, Vandana, Anita, Soni, Shyamsundar, Panchmukhi, Ramvachan, Shivkumar, Saroj, Madhubala, Arvind, and Sanju Tara.
The Sarva Seva Sangh, established by Acharya Vinoba Bhave in 1948 to propagate Gandhi’s ideas and philosophy, is closely linked with the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Amit Kumar Pandey, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kotwali, noted, “Police personnel were deployed to maintain law and order.”
A senior administrative official disclosed that six bulldozers from the Northern Railway were employed for the demolition. This action followed a protracted legal dispute between the Sangh and Northern Railways concerning land ownership.
On the basis of documents presented as evidence by the Northern Railway, the court of the Varanasi district magistrate dismissed the Sarva Seva Sangh’s claim of ownership on the land in question in June this year.
The Sangh subsequently approached the Allahabad High Court and then the Supreme Court, seeking a stay on the demolition, but failed to secure relief.
