E-Paper
Statues of Modi, Yogi Adityanath guard this building in Gujarat. Here's why
Scrap merchant Mohanlal Gupta built a temple on the rooftop and installed Ram, Sita, Lakshman, PM Modi, Yogi statutes to stop the demolition of the structure.
Prefer HTon Google
A temple in Gujarat's Bharuch has statues of PM Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath outside as they are guarding the deities of Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman sitting inside. The catch is the temple on the top of a house inaugurated on January 22 -- on the day of the pran pratishtha of Ram Temple -- is purportedly illegal and faces the threat of demolition, Indian Express reported.
Mohanlal Gupta bought the building last year and has constructed an additional floor without any sanction to house the temple. Gupta's building is a two-storey one in the Riddhi Siddhi residential society. The first complaint against the building was lodged last year alleging that the entire construction was illegal. Gupta, however, said the person from whom he purchased the property took permission for construction from Gadkhol Gram Panchayat in 2012.
Now that PM Modi, Yogi and Ram, Lakshman and Sita guard the building, the Bharuch-Ankleshwar Urban Development Authority sent Mohanlal a notice to submit necessary documents showing he obtained permission for the construction.
Mohanlal is a scarp merchant from Uttar Pradesh and resides opposite the building in question. He uses this building for commercial purposes. On the complaints. Mohanlal said people outside of the residential society are jealous of him and are threatening him that they will get the building demolished.
The inauguration of the temple was a grand event and a large number of people attended it. Village sarpanch Manjulaben Patel said she was aware of the inauguration event but did not attend it.
