Mumbai: After a rally on July 14 to protest against the illegal encroachments near Vishalgad Fort in Kolhapur district, Hindu outfits have planned another march – this time to Lohagad Fort near Lonavala – on August 12.
The Vishalgad rally had led to an attack on Muslim homes and a mosque in nearby Gajapur village and concerns have been expressed about law and order in the Lohagad area.
About The Protests
Sakal Hindu Samaj, Maval, and Bajrang Dal, Naval, have announced a ‘Chalo Lohagad’ as part of the campaign by the group ‘Lohagad Mukti Sangharsh’ to remove allegedly illegal structures, including a dargah, from the fort. The protests are part of a campaign by the ‘Maharashtra Gad-Durg Rakshak Samiti’ which demanded that encroachers be evicted from more than 40 forts from the Chhatrapati Shivaji era.
The forts include Raigad, Chandan-Vandangad and Kulaba. Sunil Ghanwat of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti said that encroachers have gained access to forts even though the Central government’s Archeological Survey of India is guarding the structures.
“Visitors are charged a fee for entering the fort but encroachers have built structures inside it,” said Ghanwat who alleged that the illegal settlers are part of a ‘land jihad’ programme to usurp vacant public land and declare it as Wakf or religious endowments. All the encroachers are not Muslims; many are Hindus. Ghanwat said a dargah was built recently on the ridge of Lohagad fort.
“The government has been ignoring the encroachments and avoiding the demolition of the structures making excuses about court orders and the monsoon. In Vishalgad, only a few encroachers have obtained a stay order, but the government has used the excuse to delay the demolition of other structures,” said Ghanwat.
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