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The Agra district administration has decided to slap a notice on the manager of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu's ashram in Sikandra for alleged encroachment on government land, an official said today.
"Preliminary investigations showed that the gate of the ashram, the hospital and the toilets were built on government land," SDM, Agra (tehsil), Rajesh Kumar, said.
The ashram was also found to be using a domestic gas connection instead of a commercial gas connection in the its hostel kitchen, Kumar, who visited the facility yesterday with other officials, said.
The ashram manager will be asked to produce papers of the ownership of the land on which the ashram has been built and explain about the gas connection, he said.
The visit to the ashram came after complaints were received by the district administration that forest land had been occupied by the it.
The SDM said prima facie it was found that about half a bigha of government land had been illegally occupied by the ashram.
Meanwhile, the fugitive son of Asaram, Narain Sai, had reportedly stayed in Agra for a night and left soon after, a day before Gujarat Police team reached here looking for him.
A 16-year-old girl has levelled charge of sexual abuse against Asaram Bapu, while two sisters from Surat have accused the godman and his son of assaulting them during their stay in his ashram. Asaram has been taken to Ahmedabad for questioning, while Sai is still absconding.
