Maharashtra Govt to Probe Land Parcels Owned by Churches, Christian Missionaries
New Delhi: The Maharashtra government has ordered a time-bound audit of land parcels owned by churches, Christian missionary organisations and related institutions across the state to identify “illegal encroachments, disputed land titles and irregularities”, The Indian Express reported.
The announcement was made in the legislative assembly on Wednesday (July 8) by state revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. He said the exercise would be completed within three months and action would be taken wherever violations are found.
The announcement came a week after a delegation of Christian groups met the Mumbai Police Commissioner seeking protection against repeated threats and violence by right-wing groups at prayer meetings. At least 25 organisations under the banner of Mumbai for Peace submitted a memorandum alleging that these groups enter prayer venues and spread misinformation targeting the Christian community.
The issue was raised by BJP MLA Devayani Pharande who demanded a resolution to the long-standing dispute involving the Nashik Diocesan Trust Association Limited, which has allegedly reportedly nearly 5,000 families in Nashik, according to PTI.
Per the agency, Pharande alleged that land originally granted by the British government for schools, colleges and hospitals run by Christian institutions had been transferred to private hands through manipulation of records after the death of the original trustees.
“The objective is to identify illegal encroachments, disputed land titles and irregularities in ownership,” Bawankule said, as quoted by the daily, adding that the exercise was part of the government’s broader policy towards land administration in the state.
Bawankule said that all land held by missionary organisations since the British era, as well as properties transferred after Independence, will be examined.
“Those with legally valid land titles and transfers need not worry. But where there are violations of norms or illegalities, the government will review the cases and take appropriate action,” he said.
According to Express, a committee headed by the respective divisional commissioner, with senior officials from the settlement commissioner’s office, the police department and the inspector general of registration will conduct the verification.
In cases where the land has already been developed into residential colonies or allotted for public infrastructure projects, he added, the government would seek the legal department’s opinion before taking a final decision.
In February, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) had called upon the US government to urge officials in India to hold “perpetrators of targeted violence accountable, highlighting “violent attacks by Hindu nationalist mobs targeting Christians”, saying such attacks justified its calls for India to be designated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
In March this year, the Maharashtra government passed the Freedom of Religion Bill – an anti-conversion law – despite opposition from Christian groups and opposition parties.
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