RAHIM YAR KHAN, July 17: A sanitary inspector of the Tehsil Municipal Administration has allegedly deprived some local people of the Hindu community of the plot they had acquired for the temple.

About 200 families of Muslims, Christians and Hindus, earlier settled in Mohallah Qazian near Central Eidgah, were shifted outside the city in Dhakka Basti, New Canal Park, by the then municipal committee chairman Mian Abdul Khaliq in 1987.

Although the land for mosque, church and temple was allocated and possession was given, it was not transferred on paper.

The Hindus, under the guidance of priest Baba Santu Ram, started worshipping in the five-marla plot provided to them for building the Balmiki temple.

Following the death of Baba Santu Ram in 2001, his wife planned to sell the plot to raise funds for the marriage of her daughters.

In 2002, the district nazim received a letter from the Punjab Auqaf department deputy secretary with suggestions to carry out development work for minorities.

At least Rs405,500 were estimated for the construction of Balmiki temple for the Hindus in New Canal Park. Later, minority district council member J.K Jamal-i-Azam Naik sent a letter to the district council member (planning) in which Rs589,100 were demanded for the temple.

In 2004, Baba Santu Ram’s wife disposed of the plot against a reasonable price to Nazir Masih, a retired Shaikh Zayed Hospital employee. Birbal Ram, the successor of priest Baba Santu Ram, along with the whole Balmiki biradari had filed an application with the TMA that the temple plot could not be sold and that it should be returned to the community. But Nazir Masih built his house on the plot.

After sometime sanitary inspector Zafar Masih alias Bakka, using TMA resources, demolished the house and the plot was given to Birbal Ram and Balmiki biradari. Later, Zafar Masih offered the Balmikis to build a boundary wall on the temple’s plot for which they could pay him in installments. On completion, Zafar Masih locked the gate with a claim that the plot belonged to the TMA.

A delegation of Hindu Balmikis, including minority members of district and tehsil councils Arjun Jee, Kanjee Ram, Gordhan Das, Kanoo Ram, Beerbal Ram, Jan Bheel, Preetum Dass Baloch, Guru Sukh Dev Jee and Ramaish Jaipal, met Tehsil Nazim Mian Ijaz Aamer on June 26 and informed him about the illegal possession of the temple plot by Zafar Masih. The tehsil nazim ordered an inquiry into the matter.

The delegation had also visited Rahim Yar Khan DPO Shahid Hanif and asked him to take action against the sanitary inspector. The DPO assured them that their rights would be protected.

The Balmikis claim that the TMA is not sincere in returning the temple’s plot to them as the market value of the New Canal Park has increased sufficiently. The Government Post-Graduate Girls College has also been shifted to a nearby building.

They also claim that UC nazim Mehmood Ayaz and naib nazim Rana Iftikhar Rasool are also interested in this plot.

The Balmiki Hindu biradari has urged the high-ups to direct the TMA authority to return to them the place of worship.