Mahatma's memorial in Rajghat dismantled; sparks protests

The memorial of Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba Gandhi at Rajghat area near here was today dismantled by the district administration and temporarily relocated to a nearby place, triggering protests.

The memorial was facing a threat of submergence due to closure of gates of Narmada dam in neighbouring Gujarat.

The development came hours before Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar was to start her indefinite fast demanding rehabilitation of people displaced in Madhya Pradesh due to closure of Sardar Sarovar dam's gates last month.

According to activist Hinshi Singh, urns containing ash of Gandhi, Kasturba and Mahatma's secretary Mahadev Desai were taken away from the memorial early morning.
 

However, the urns were brought back after locals, Patkar and other activists protested, she said, adding that the urns were forcibly taken away by the police in the afternoon who beat up the protesters.

However, District Collector Tejaswi S Naik said there was some confusion when the urns were being taken to a temporary place from Rajghat this morning.

The protestors did not allow the urns to be taken away from Rajghat, the officer said, adding they were shifted to a temporary place in Kukri area in the afternoon.

The collector said a grand memorial of the Mahatma, Kasturba and Desai would be constructed after a committee set up in this connection takes the final call.

Before starting her fast, Patkar said the state government has asked 40,000 families living in the submergence areas close to Narmada river in Barwani, Alirajpur, Dhar and Khargone districts to vacate their dwellings by July 31.

"The government officials are forcing the affected people to move to the tin sheds built by the government, but this make-shift arrangements lack basic infrastructure," she said.

"I want the gates of the Sardar Sarovar Dam to be opened and the oustees rehabilitated. Reservoirs in Gujarat are full with water due to the recent rains, and there is no urgency to store water in the Sardar Sarovar dam," she added.