The Brahma Kumaris illegally detained a child in Mumbai for two hours and attempted to have him arrested by police for trespass after he entering while land used for a BKWSU ashram ... to retrieve a cricket ball. Some teenage boys had been playing cricket on a Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (BMC) owned playing field, which it turns out the Brahma Kumaris may be occupying illegally.
The controversy has lifted the lid on the organization's activities, showing that 11 of its 58 centres are on a BMC owned plot, which were reserved as public recreation grounds (RG), playgrounds (PG) or gardens.
It turns out that the adoption agreements of many centres have expired, but they retain the land and have built buildings on them and they are alleged not to have been paying their bills.
Over a hundred residents participated in a march in Pant Nagar on Tuesday morning, protesting the police action against the boy. Corporator Rakhi Jadhav said the Brahma Kumaris were running their ashram on BMC playground, named Acharya Atre Park, despite the lease having expired.
The Brahma Kumaris turned to their contacts in the right wing Bharatiya Janata Partyin an effort to protect them.
The controversy has lifted the lid on the organization's activities, showing that 11 of its 58 centres are on a BMC owned plot, which were reserved as public recreation grounds (RG), playgrounds (PG) or gardens.
It turns out that the adoption agreements of many centres have expired, but they retain the land and have built buildings on them and they are alleged not to have been paying their bills.
Over a hundred residents participated in a march in Pant Nagar on Tuesday morning, protesting the police action against the boy. Corporator Rakhi Jadhav said the Brahma Kumaris were running their ashram on BMC playground, named Acharya Atre Park, despite the lease having expired.
The Brahma Kumaris turned to their contacts in the right wing Bharatiya Janata Partyin an effort to protect them.
FIR against teen for trying to retrieve ball by Pandurang Mhaske, Mumbai Mirror
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The 14-year-old from Ghatkopar booked for criminal trespassing after he entered the premises of the Brahma Kumaris ashram located on a BMC-owned playground. According to the boy, he had merely attempted to retrieve the ball from the premises of the Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Vishwavidyalaya, located on the BMC-owned playground in Pant Nagar, when the devotees 'detained' him for two hours before handing him over to police.
In a counter-complaint filed against the Brahma Kumaris, the boy's parents said the vishwavidyalaya watchman and a few devotees, led by a woman identified as Brahma Kumari Harsha, threatened the boy and "detained" him for over two hours, after which the Pant Nagar cops took him to the police station.
An officer from Pant Nagar police confirmed the boy had been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 441 (criminal trespassing) and 447 (punishment up to three months or a fine or both), while the vishwavidyalaya officials had been booked under IPC Section 341 for wrongful confinement and Section 34 (criminal act committed by several people in furtherance of the common intention).
"No arrests have been made. We have registered FIRs against both parties and investigation is on," a senior officer from Pant Nagar Police Station said. The boy's family said that the ashram watchman refused to hand over the ball, following which the lad entered the premises to fetch it.
"A woman, who was identified as Brahma Kumari Harsha, along with other members and the watchman forced our boy to remain seated for over two hours. They repeatedly taunted him, called him names, and used their clout to get him booked for a criminal offence," the boy's Father said.
Brahma Kumari Harsha denied the boy had been detained, and said the ashram authorities had repeatedly requested them to not create nuisance. "Police took the boy away within 20 minutes of us calling them up. Every day, these boys create nuisance. But we never detained them," she said.
Residents protest action
Over a hundred residents participated in a march in Pant Nagar on Tuesday morning, protesting the police action against the boy. Corporator Rakhi Jadhav said the Brahma Kumaris were running their ashram on BMC playground, named Acharya Atre Park, despite the lease having expired.
"I have demanded a probe into the matter. We have come to know that the lease agreement has expired. Also, the ashram authorities have constructed on the ground without permission. They cannot stop people from using a public park," Jadhav said.
Show-cause notice to be issued against Brahma Kumaris over illegal construction in Mumbai Agency: DNA Amrita Nayak Dutta
NCP corporator Rakhee Jadhav out to expose alleged illegal constructions done by the spiritual organisation on BMC plots
After drawing flak for the alleged detention of a minor boy on Sunday, the ashram of the Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwavidyalaya, located on a BMC-owned playground at Ghatkopar, may face further trouble. The N-ward office has decided to issue a show cause notice to the ashram, for allegedly carrying out structural irregularities. "We have received certain complaints of structural violations. We will issue a show cause notice and carry out a probe on the violations carried out by them," said Vijay Kamble, assistant municipal commissioner of N ward.
Nationalist Congress Party corporator Rakhee Jadhav said the organisation had carried out several illegal constructions. "The adoption agreement of the organisation had expired in 2004, while the stay on adoption and caretaker policy was granted in 2007 by the state government. So the BMC should have taken back the ground between that period."
She said they had also not cleared water bills and other dues.
Jadhav has also written to the additional municipal commissioner of eastern suburbs, talking about the illegal construction of a compound wall apart from several rooms, offices, halls, passages and garages being built. She also mentioned that the organisation offers restricted entry into the ashram compound.
A copy of the letter is with dna. "It is a BMC plot, which is reserved for a play ground. Any type of construction made for recreational purposes is a violation of the Development Control Rules for Greater Mumbai and invites prosecution under Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act, 1966, and the Mumbai Municipal Act," the letter reads.
According to the organisation's website, it has 58 centres across Mumbai. However, records obtained from the civic body show 11 of them are on BMC's recreation grounds (RG), playgrounds (PG) and gardens. The adoption agreements of many centres have expired, but the grounds remain with them because of a stay on the adoption and caretaker policy granted by the state government in 2007. Ward officials of F-south ward confirmed that the adoption agreements of two of its centres in the ward expired in 2007. Similarly, H West ward officials confirmed that agreements of two of the organisation's centres at the Swami Muktanand Park at Santacruz and at the Katraj Udyan on Perry Cross Road have also expired seven years ago.
Their centre at a Borivali at Devidas road junction also faces the same issue according to R central ward officials. However, they said they haven't received any complaints about the centre so far.
Brahma Kumari member Harsha refuted allegations of any illegal construction. "We have all the permissions from the Development Planning department of the BMC. We have all the records and copies of bills paid," she said. On Thursday, Jadhav and the minor boy's parents visited Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria. A police official from Pant Nagar police station said, "It's a cross complaint case. We are investigating."