The state government is all set to initiate action to recover the agricultural land allegedly grabbed by the Asaram Bapu Ashram at Motera village, in the outskirts of Ahmedabad.

A survey of the land belonging to the Ashram

conducted jointly by land-record officials of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar districts found that the Ashram was occupying surplus land, which it did not own.

According to officials in the Ahmedabad District Collectorate, over 65,000 square metres of agricultural land was found to have been grabbed by the Ashram. “An action to recover the land will be initiated under Section 61 of the Land Revenue Code,” a Collectorate official said.

Deputy Collector Harshad Vora confirmed that the surveyors had found that the Ashram possessed extra land. “It is agricultural land. We will issue notices to the Ashram authorities, asking them to prove their ownership claim,” said Vora.

“In case they fail to prove their claim with concrete

evidence, we will take steps to take back the land,” said Vora.

The state government had initiated suo motu action in the matter following a controversy arising of the mysterious death of two minor boys of the Ashram-run Gurukul in July 2008.

The boys were reported to have gone missing after having dinner on July 3.

On July 5, their disfigured bodies were found lying on the Sabarmati riverbed behind the Ashram building. The incident had stunned the citizens and an agitation against the Ashram authorities rocked the city for several days.

As many villagers had been accusing the Ashram authorities of grabbing their land, they too joined the agitation.