Margao: Eight sheds of a gaushala run by Dhyan Foundation at Deusa in Quepem were demolished by unidentified persons in the early hours of Wednesday, triggering a dispute between the animal welfare organisation and the management committee of Shri Damodar Devasthan, Zambaulim, on whose land the shelter stood.Dhyan Foundation alleged that over 150 men trespassed into the premises around 12.55am, confined the supervisor and night watchman for over two hours, damaged their mobile phones to prevent recording, disabled CCTV cameras, and razed the sheds using two earthmovers.The foundation said the sheds housed around 300 cattle. It alleged that several animals fled into the surrounding forest during the demolition, some were injured, and a few may not have survived.In a statement on social media, Dhyan Foundation alleged that the Devasthan management had been pressuring it to vacate the land and alleged its involvement, claiming temple staff guided the men who carried out the demolition.Temple committee president Manjunath Dukle denied any role. He said the Devasthan had allotted land to the foundation for the gaushala at Zambaulim, several years ago, but after repeated complaints from neighbours about the stench of cow dung and urine, it asked the foundation to shift to a larger Devasthan-owned plot at Deusa, to which it had agreed. However, Dukle said, the foundation subsequently requested for a still larger area, and the committee agreed to allot them an adjacent plot once the access road was constructed.Dukle said the committee issued a consent letter to help the foundation obtain grants while land transfer formalities were under way. However, he alleged that the foundation constructed sheds on the original plot without informing the committee. Dukle said that they couldn’t allow sheds on the property as the land had already been earmarked for an educational project (for a spiritual organisation). He said he learnt of the demolition only the next morning and that his name was being “unnecessarily dragged” into the controversy.Dhyan Foundation maintained that it built the sheds on the strength of the no-objection certificate issued by the Devasthan.“Dhyan Foundation was allotted the land by the temple committee itself, and an NOC for construction of sheds was issued in this regard in Feb. It was on the representation of the temple committee president’s representation and basis the NOC that we invested nearly Rs. 1.5 crore there. Once the amount was invested, they began intimidation, threats, and assault to vacate it for a more lucrative offer. When nothing worked, they resorted to violence and demolition of the Gaushala,” Archana Chaubey, coordinator, Dhyan Foundation, said.
