By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 14 Nov: As per a landmark judgement of the Supreme Court, it is necessary to obtain the permission of the district administration to construct any religious structure in the district concerned. However, in Uttarakhand, in recent years and particularly in recent months, a very large number of illegal mazaars have been constructed. Most of these mazaars suddenly crop up overnight without any due legal process of obtaining any administrative permission and on government and forest land. Dehradun has surprisingly seen a large number of such illegal mazasrs cropping up on government and forest land and even on national highways. However, it still remains a mystery, how such an illegal mazaar was constructed on the property of the internationally renowned The Doon School in Dehradun. The Doon School has produced many prominent corporate personalities, bureaucrats and even politicians. In view of its prominence and security concerns, there are strict arrangements at the school and despite this, part of one of the boundary walls of the school campus was demolished and the boundary wall moved inside to allow construction of a Mazaar on that location. Also, it needs to be pointed out here that mazaars are built over tombs of revered Sufi saints and in most of the recent cases, no one knows, whose tombs existed in the place!
Sources claim that the construction of this mazaar was underway for over two weeks near the turn for Dehradun Cantonment. Though, this mazaar has now been demolished but serious questions have arisen over the development. The biggest question is whether the School Administration was aware of this ongoing construction of a mazaar on its property. The second question is at what stage did the school administration come to know about the development and what action was taken by the school after this came to be known? Whether the school administration chose to allow the construction to avoid any possible confrontation with the community, is another question, and whether the school either applied for permission for construction of the mazaar or did the school authority file any formal complaint regarding encroachment on its property and the illegal construction of the mazaar?
As per the district administration, no permission was sought from the district administration by any institution or individual for the construction of the mazaar nor any complaint was filed by the school authorities regarding the ongoing construction of the mazaar. Sources claim that it was after some videos that had gone viral on social media, the administration demolished the structure. Also, some sources in the administration claim that when some senior district administration officers reached the school to investigate the matter after the videos had gone viral, their entry was resisted initially by the school authorities. Finally, when the officers, which included a police officer, were allowed entry, they were shocked to see the mazaar. After this, the officials instructed the workers constructing the tomb to demolish it. However, sources also claim that the school administration was not in the loop of this development. The mazaar was being constructed by the contractor assigned the responsibility of construction or reconstruction of the boundary wall of the school who allegedly has claimed that an old tomb was present at the site in the past. No one knows, however, which Sufi saint’s tomb existed here.
Given the large scale of mazaars coming up in Dehradun, a survey was conducted in Dehradun and it has been revealed that 53 mazaars exist in the city. While some of the mazaars like the one outside the Doon Hospital and one on the Convent Road are quite old, many are new. It also needs to be reminded here that, in recent months, dozens of illegal mazaars have been demolished in the state.
On Monday, two illegal mazaars were demolished on National Highway-72 near Premnagar. In almost all the demolitions, no remains of any human bodies have been found, which raises the question whether this trend of the illegal mazaars being constructed are part of a larger conspiracy, or just a money-making gambit.
“No breach of security at The Doon School”
School Boundary was being rebuilt by PWD: Dr Jagpreet Singh
By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 15 Nov: The Doon School has issued a clarification with regard to the mazaar controversy.
Principal Dr Jagpreet Singh has, in this regard, written a letter to the parents of the students claiming that there was no breach in the school security. Singh stated that certain sections of the media are carrying reports about a breach in the School Campus and the demolition of a structure within the premises of the school.
Singh added that the school boundary wall along the Chakrata Road is being rebuilt by the Public Works Department (PWD) due to ongoing road expansion work by the state government. The said work is being carried out by a contractor employed by the PWD. He added that the contractor, of his own volition, and without any permission from the School or the PWD, erected an unauthorised structure and the same was immediately removed after the intervention of the local administration. Singh further stated that, on bringing the attention of the PWD to the said matter, it has promptly intervened and even sent a written apology to the school.
He pointed out that the School Management was well aware and working closely with the authorities regarding the issue. There has been no breach of security, and the campus continues to be a safe place for all the residents. Singh emphasised that the safety and welfare of the students and staff continues to be the top priority for the school.
