Bulldozer rolls on dargah after Kurukshetra priest assault triggers encroachment drive

Days after the alleged assault on a temple priest in Haryana’s Kurukshetra district triggered widespread outrage, the district administration on Monday demolished portions of structures identified as encroachments during a joint operation carried out with police support, officials said.

The exercise was conducted in Adhoni village, where authorities removed a section of a structure linked to the prime accused in the case before proceeding with demolition of an encroaching portion of a nearby dargah. The operation was carried out amid heavy police deployment to maintain law and order.

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Duty Magistrate Amit Kumar said the administration acted strictly within the scope of legally approved orders. “We have carried out the demolition only where valid administrative orders exist. Our action is confined to the encroachment identified in the official records,” he said and added that the operation was based on prior demarcation conducted by the revenue authorities.

The family of the accused has objected to the demolition and claimed that similar encroachments existed elsewhere in the village.

Pankaj’s mother, Paramjeet, has asked the local administration to adopt a uniform approach in the matter. “If illegal constructions are being removed, then the authorities should take action against every encroachment in the village. It should not be limited to our family alone,” she said.

Meanwhile, officials said that the drive was part of the ongoing process initiated after complaints were received regarding encroachments on public land. As per the administration, only those structures covered under the existing orders were taken up during the operation on Monday, while action on other identified encroachments would follow the prescribed legal procedure.

The demolition comes after the assault on 74-year-old Shiva temple priest Yogiraj Giri on July 9. He was allegedly attacked and dragged on a village road, sustaining serious injuries in the incident. Police are probing the case and made multiple arrests in connection with it.

Welcomed the administration’s move, representatives of the Juna Akhara Brahmin Samaj have demanded stringent action against those responsible for the assault. A district office-bearer of the organisation noted that the law should take its course and those found guilty should face punishment, while all decisions regarding public land must be implemented in accordance with legal provisions.

The incident has heightened tensions across the Adhoni village, with police making all efforts to maintain security as both the criminal investigation and administrative proceedings move forward.