Lucknow: Bhim Army Chief, Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad has written a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, raising serious concerns over "unnecessary and excessive delays" in granting administrative approvals for installing idols of saints, great personalities, and revered figures on public or private land. He has demanded a time-bound, transparent, and simplified approval process, along with the withdrawal of criminal cases registered in connection with the Hardoi district's Mahua Kola incident.
In his letter, Azad referred to a state government order (No. 3460P, dated September 23, 2008) issued by the Home (Police) Section, which makes prior government permission mandatory for any such idol installation. Despite this provision, residents of Mahua Kola village under Beniganj police station in Hardoi had been trying for nearly three years to obtain official permission to install a statue of Lord Buddha at a Buddha Vihar built on private farmland. However, the administration reportedly caused "frustrating and excessive delays" in processing the application.
Azad highlighted that on May 27, after being forced by the repeated delays, local residents made an attempt to install the idol, which led to a dispute. Remarkably, permission was granted within just a few hours of the incident. "This makes it clear that what could have been done in a few hours was unnecessarily delayed. It also raises the suspicion that there was no real intent to grant permission, and ideological bias may be influencing such decisions," the letter stated.
The Bhim Army chief further noted that the Mahua Kola case is not an isolated incident. Similar delays in granting permissions for installing statues of Bahujan icons and constructing religious or cultural sites have repeatedly led to disputes and tension across various districts of the state, questioning the transparency and fairness of the administrative process.
Azad has made the following demands to the Chief Minister:
The permission process for idol installations and religious/cultural structures should be made simple, transparent, and time-bound.
A fixed timeline must be mandated for a decision to be made after receiving an application.
Clear accountability should be fixed at the district level for clearing pending applications.
A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) should be implemented to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
Additionally, Azad has demanded the immediate withdrawal of all criminal cases registered in the Hardoi's Mahua Kola case. "The entire dispute appears to be the result of unnecessary, excessive, and frustrating delays at the administrative level in granting permission. In such circumstances, punitive action against affected citizens cannot be considered just," the letter read.
He appealed to the Chief Minister for necessary intervention and appropriate directions to concerned officials, ensuring that no community faces undue harassment or disputes due to administrative delays in the future.
A dispute grew over the installation of a statue of Lord Buddha in Mahua Kola village of Beniganj police station area of Hardoi. According to the police, the statue was being installed by some people without administrative permission, which led to protests at the local level.
On getting information, SDM, CO and heavy police force reached the spot and brought the situation under control. According to the police, a case has been registered under various sections against many people, including 11 names, in the case of protest and alleged indecency.
According to villagers and social activists, residents of Mahua Kola had been attempting for nearly three years to install a statue of Gautama Buddha in a temple constructed on ancestral land. The issue resurfaced on May 27 when villagers, along with members of Samrat Sena and other Ambedkarite groups, placed the statue inside the temple.
Shivam Maurya, who was among those leading the effort, claimed there was no dispute within the village regarding the installation. He said the temple stood on private property and questioned why permission was being demanded for placing a Buddha statue when, according to him, similar permissions are not sought for many Hindu temples.
"We are building a Buddhist Vihar on our own land. The entire village supports it. No villager has objected," Maurya said in a video recorded before his arrest. He alleged that a few local upper-caste families informed the police, resulting in administrative intervention.
Advocate Akash, who is representing several of the arrested villagers, alleged that police used force against residents, including women. He claimed that around 38 people were named in police cases while over 200 others were booked as unidentified accused. According to him, fear of arrest forced many villagers to leave the village temporarily.
"People have left their homes fearing arrests. Even women were allegedly beaten during the operation. The village is virtually deserted," he said.
By Friday evening, after discussions between community representatives and the district administration, the Buddha statue was formally reinstalled at the site.
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