Shimla, Aug 27
Local officer bearers of Ramakrishan Mission drew attention of the state police about an alleged security threat to lives of its inmates and monks living in Shimla Ashrama.
Secretary of Ramakrishna Mission Shimla Swami Tanmahimananda in a media communique here today said that they are concerned about the sanctity of the temple as some fraudsters and mafia are creating trouble for them .
He said that mission was taking care of a Brahma temple built in 1887 by the Himalayan Brahmo Samaj, Shimla (HBS) on 6 acres of land on the northern side of the Mall Road, below the AG office.
” We are living in constant threat after April 22, 2021 as a lady and few others are troubling us time and again.” Recently, few ladies( daughters of a former caretaker ) abused and attacked the monks and had even used ferocious dogs in the attack. On 19th April 2021, a complaint was filed with the SP, Shimla regarding this matter. The next day on 20th April, 2021 at 9.40 am (0940hrs), when Secretary Swami was meditating in the temple, four ladies and a boy with four ferocious pet dogs entered the Temple complex. When a monk tried to restrain the dog from entering the Temple, one lady attacked him and started abusing and slapping him, stated the media note.
He said that a complaint was filed by him and other monks of Shimla Ashrama on April 22, 2021 after they were abused by a few people who turned up in temple. An FIR is also registered against accused under sections 295, 323, 504, 506 of the IPC at police station Boilueganj, they added.
“To counter this FIR, the same lady has also filed a false counter FIR, against the aggrieved monk,under sections 354-A, 354-C, 509 of the IPC, in the Mahilla Police Station,” claimed the mission officials. Since the cases were not being properly investigated by the local Police, the matter was taken up with the higher
officials of the police department, who forwarded both the case FIRs for investigation to CID, Shimla.
Despite filing of the FIR, the same ladies sent by the mafia of Vishal Sharma@Badri,
continued to misbehave with monks and devotees of the Ramakrishna Mission and continued to bring their dogs to the Ashrama campus, alleged the society.
On the 10th of August, the same ladies again attacked and abused the 82 year old wife of HBS Trustee-cum-President Vijay Pandit, who happens to be a senior lawyer of the HP High Court. Pandit is presently indisposed as he is nursing his kidney problem in Chandigarh and is on dialysis.
The matter was again brought to the notice of the Police. Wherein the CM accordingly ordered to provide 24 hour Police Security to the Ashrama.
On 14th August 2021, as per the orders of the CM of HP, the DGP of HP Police along with the SP, Shimla, visited the campus and instructed both parties to maintain peace and not to trespass.
Then the same lady, who also happens to be an advocate, started misbehaving with the DGP of HP, in the presence of all and did not adhere to his orders. “Being an advocate
does not give any person the right to attack monks, desecrate religious places and misbehave with senior Government and police officers,” they stated.
So the appropriate police action against the concerned lady was fully justified. Police took action strictly as per the law, after recording the statements of monks and witnesses present.
They further added, “We request the Government and police of Himachal Pradesh to provide security and protect the lives
of the inmates and monks of the Ashrama, maintain the sanctity of the temple and ensure that these fraudsters and mafia do not repeat such incidents in future.” Adding, ” We appreciate the timely and effective action taken by the Government and the police in
particular, for maintaining peace and harmony in the area and for preserving the ancient culture and religious institutions of our nation.”
Background or history Ramakrishna mission and this matter
The Ramakrishna Mission is a registered society founded by Swami Vivekananda on 1st May 1897. This organization along with the sister organization viz. Ramakrishna Math (aregistered trust, which was also started by Swami Vivekananda in the year 1901) forms the coreof a worldwide spiritual movement (known as Ramakrishna Movement or Vedanta Movement), which aims at the harmony of religions, harmony of the East and the West, harmony of the ancient and the modern, spiritual fulfilment, all-round development of human faculties, social equality and peace for all humanity, without any distinctions of creed, caste, race or nationality. Keshab Chandra Sen was closely associated with Sri Ramakrishna and had started the Nava Vidhan Brahmo Samaj. The devotees of Sri Ramakrishna are familiar with him and his organisation, through the life of Sri Ramakrishna and the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Keshab Chandra Sen and other leaders of the Brahmo Samaj used to come to Sri Ramakrishna and were greatly transformed in their breadth of thought. Even Swami Vivekananda and some others were members of Brahmo Samaj who later became disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission have about 240 centres including sub-centres in 25 countries.
In 1886, Lala Kanshi Ram, Secretary to The Himalayan Brahmo Samaj, Shimla (HBS) purchased a plot of 6 acres of land on the northern side of the Mall Road, below the AG office and built a Brahmo Temple in 1887.
Later on, he authored a Trust to manage the said property and temple in 1897 and registered the same in 1898 at Shimla. The main objective of the Trust is to utilise the entire property of the Trust for Divine
service or worship of one true God, by the members of the congregation of the said Mandir and also by the public of Shimla and adjoining places. Three of the present trustees are direct descendants of the author of the Trust.
The Trustees and Managing Committee of the HBS have the power and authority to all intents and purpose whatsoever, with the custody and safe preservation of the present and future properties and in furtherance of its objects and for its maintenance and improvement as per the Trust Deed.
The Managing Committee of the Trust is functional since 1882 which is backed by detailed century-old records and is presently headed by Vijay Pandit, Senior lawyer of HP High Court, in the capacity of President-cum-Trustee.
In 2011 the present trustees of the “Himalayan Brahmo Samaj” (HBS), decided to hand over the property to the Ramakrishna Mission, since the aims and objectives of both were very similar. Due to technical reasons, they initially gifted the Temple and some buildings to start a branch centre of the Ramakrishna Mission at Shimla. Accordingly on 15th November 2014 the Ramakrishna Mission started functioning on these premises.
A person, Vishal Sharma@Badri, the son of the then Caretaker/Mali Sh. Mast Ram Sharma, of
Himalayan Brahmo Samaj, Shimla was appointed in 1990 as Supervisor of the Samaj Estate, to work in collaboration with his father. Ever since his appointment, he had started creating trouble for the said Trustees by encroaching upon the land of the HSB, by making unauthorized construction and inducting sub-tenants, alleged the mission.
“From 2007-08, Vishal Sharma further started interfering in the affairs of the Himalayan Brahmo Samaj, Shimla, by instituting false legal cases against the Trustees and office bearers of the HSB. He also floated a parallel organization with a look-alike name of the Trust, as branch centre of the West Bengal based Brahmo Conference”.
This so called Brahmo Conference held two conferences in Shimla under Vishal Sharma@Badri and planted some of their men as office-bearers of the parallel branch centre and they are illegally holding some properties of the HBS. He also joined hands with two more organisations of West Bengal who are backing him and his associates financially to grab the property of HBS.
The HBS filed a Civil Suit No. 61 of 2011 (New No. 3-S/10 of 14/11) dated 2.8.2011 in
the High Court of Himachal Pradesh against Badri Vishal Sharma etc (Defendants) and
prayed for passing an injunction order to restrain the Defendants from using the name and Logo of HBS and also restrain the Defendants from in any manner interfering with the possession of the HBS Applicant) with respect to the HBS property at Shimla.” In response to the above suit, the Hon’ble High Court of H.P. passed an injunction order dated
16.8.2011 in favour of HBS, the main part of which reads as “the defendants are restrained from using the name of Plaintiff No. 1 and interfering in the suit property,”added the press note.
Till further orders, the parties are directed to maintain status quo with regard to nature and possession of the suit land, as per details given in the plaint.” But Vishal Sharma@Badri and others continued their illegal activity even after the above orders were delivered by the Hon’ble High Court.
The fraudsters, despite the court order, impersonating themselves as office bearers and trustees of the said Samaj, filed a Civil Suit No. 7-S/01 of 2015 in the court of the Ld. Addl. District Judge-II, Shimla, by forging documents of the Trust and obtained an ex-party stay against the de jure trustees of HBS. Ld. Addl. District Judge-II, Shimla in 2019, in an application, decided that he had no jurisdiction to entertain this suit. Resultantly, the stay order became infructuous and was nullified.
The impersonator had since moved before the HP High Court against the said order and no stay has been granted in their favour. Against the illegal action of the fraudsters, a complaint was also filed before the Police in 2011 by the Secretary of the HBS.
The Local Police Station had filed a charge sheet against Vishal Sharma@Badri and all the fraudsters, in case FIR No 218, dated 24th September 2011, under sections 420, 448, 467, 468, 471, 120B, 201 of the IPC,
in the CJM court, Shimla.
The main allegations against these fraudsters are duplicating the Trust Deed, impersonating, opening a bank account by forging documents, etc.
“After starting the Ramakrishna Mission, Shimla (a branch centre of Ramakrishna Mission having its headquarters at P.O. Belur Math, District Howrah, P.S. Bally, West Bengal, India 711202) in 2014, these fraudsters were aggressively trying to defame the HBS members and the monks of the Ramakrishna Mission,” claimed the media note.
