Dispute over land erupts into major row, mahapanchayat called

A dispute over possession of a piece of land in neighbouring Kushinagar district has blown out into a major row as Hindu Yuva Vahini has called a mahapanchayat on March 3.
A scuffle had broken out between an officer bearer of Vishwa Hindu Mahasangh, Digvijay Kishor Shahi, and another person, Ameen, over possession of the land 11 days ago in Madhopur village, Superintendent of Police Lalit Kumar said.
An FIR was registered and three persons were arrested, he said.
Later, Hindu Yuva Vahini got involved linking the dispute with its claim that earlier too land of 25 Hindu households in the village was taken over for four Idgahs and declared that a mahapanchayat will be held on March 3 over both these issues.

"For getting the land of these Idgahs and that of the gram sabha back, we will be holding a mahapanchayat on March 3. We have not taken any permission for holding it from the district administration as it is not required," state chief of the Vahini, Sunil Singh said in Gorakhpur.
All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has also jumped into the controversy alleging that the administration was acting in a partisan manner by taking action against victims.

A delegation of AIMIM, led by its Gorakhpur convenor Sameer Siddiqui, today visited the village and alleged that Vahini activists, in the presence of police and PAC, barged into the house of Ameen and misbehaved with women after which 90 per cent of Muslim families of the village have fled.

State convenor of the outfit, Shaukat Ali, claimed that administration was working in a "partisan manner".
"Shahi has forcibly grabbed Ameen's land but police has lodged a case under serious sections against his (Ameen's) sons and sent them to jail," he said.
The SP has however rejected the claims of exodus by Muslim families saying that except for the families of Ameen and others named in the FIR none have left the village.
Efforts are on to resolve the dispute and police and PAC in adequate number have been deployed in the village as a precautionary measure, the SP added.