IN THE badlands of Bihar, even gods are at the mercy of bahubalis (criminal politicians) who manage temples, mutts and other religious places. The end result has not been quite propitious. According to the Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts (BSBRT), there is a question mark over properties worth over Rs 2,000 crore. These have been illegally sold or leased, or forcibly occupied by criminals.
We are yet to make a full assessment, but it is estimated that the worth of lost properties could go beyond Rs 2,000 crore, BSBRT administrator Kishore Kunal told HT. He said the BSBRT came across serious irregularities in the management of several temples, mutts and trusts, many of which have over the years slipped into the hands of tainted persons masquerading as priests and mahants.
The alienation of property has taken place in three ways sale, lease and forcible occupation by persons with criminal antecedents, said Kunal, adding that it was a violation of Section 44 of the Bihar Hindu Religious Trusts Act 1951.
The priest of the Janaki Sthan Mandir at Sitamarhi, believed to be the birthplace of Sita, has rented out the temple. Kunal said in some cases, as at the Rajipur Mutt in Vikramganj, even the temple was razed to sell the land. "Several builders are involved in it and we're getting each and every case examined to recover the land," he said.
Kunal listed several cases in which criminals acted as priests. Bhikari Das, the mahant of the Ram Janaki Mandir at Madhopur, Gopalganj, is charged with criminal offences, including murder, uranium theft, assault. "There is no record of the 42 acres of land that the temple committee possessed," said Kunal.
From: Hindustan Times, 07-08-06
