Bhubaneswar: The Dera Sacha Sauda Ashram of its now jailed chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh at Beleswarpatna on the outskirts of Odisha’s pilgrim town Puri is found to have encroached three acres of government land.
The matter came to light on Wednesday after a five-member team of state revenue department officials headed by the local tahsildar conducted measurement of the property on Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to official sources, the team found that the ashram stands on seven acres of land out of which four acres has been purchased in the name of the ashram from a private individual and the remaining three acres is government land which has been encroached.
The tahsildar will submit a report to the district collector in this regard. The measurement exercise was undertaken after locals complained about the encroachment of government land by the ashram.
Locals complained of the encroachment of government land by the ashram after sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted by a CBI court on Friday for raping two female disciples in 1999.
Revenue minister Maheswar Mohanty had ordered an inquiry into the alleged encroachment of land by the ashram after members of Puri Sachetana Nagarika Mancha on Friday gathered in front of the ashram and raised slogans against the violence carried out by the Dera supporters.
The members of the Mancha alleging encroachment of government land by the ashram had demanded its demolition.
