Indore: Seven people, including Computer Baba alias Namdev Das Tyagi, who was the chairman of the River Conservation Trust in the former Congress government led by Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh, were arrested on Sunday during a campaign to demolish illegal structures on government land. Precautionary arrests were made in the morning. Superintendent of Police (Western Region) Maheshchandra Jain informed that Section 151 (CRPC) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CRPC) occurred when the administration demolished an illegal building at Computer Baba’s Ashram premises in Jamburdi Hapsi village adjacent to Indore city. This step was taken as a precautionary measure to prevent. He informed that Computer Baba and six others associated with him have been precautionarily arrested and sent to a local jail.
After the by-elections for 28 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh, former Chief Minister Digvijay Singh has reacted sharply to the campaign of hammering the administration on Computer Baba’s ashram in Indore. He termed it an act of political revenge. The former CM and Congress leader has tweeted immediately after the administration’s campaign, “Computer Baba’s ashram and temple are being demolished in Indore without any notice due to revenge. This is the culmination of political vengeance. I condemn it. ‘
Occupying 2 acres of government land
Officials said that during the administration’s investigation, illegal occupation and construction on two acres of government land in Computer Baba’s ashram complex was found to be certified. However, this ashram is spread over more than 40 acres of land and its current market value is estimated at around Rs. 80 crores. In this case, the revenue department had imposed a fine of Rs. 2,000 on the doers of the ashram a few days back and asked them to remove illegal constructions from the government land. Officials said that when the encroachment was not removed, the administration removed the ashram’s belongings and demolished the illegal structures, including sheds and rooms. During this time a heavy police force was deployed there. Officials said that a cowshed will be constructed on the land freed from encroachment and a religious site will be developed there.
Chairman of the River Conservation Trust
Namdev Das Tyagi is the real name of Computer Baba belonging to Vaishnava sect (Hindus who worship Lord Vishnu as their favorite deity). The previous Kamal Nath government, which lasted only 15 months, had made him the chairman of the trust set up for the protection of Narmada, Kshipra and Mandakini rivers. Computer Baba has run election campaigns in favor of the Congress in the state. On the major issue of alleged misery of Narmada river, he had launched a campaign to mobilize saints across the state against the ruling BJP in the last assembly elections of November 2018.
‘Yatra’ was taken out in the by-election
Before the by-elections held on November 3 in 28 assembly seats of the state, Computer Baba along with other sadhus-saints had taken out ‘Loktantra Bachao Yatra’. In this journey through the constituencies, Computer Baba had described the 22 rebel Congress MLAs as ‘traitors’ whose resignations from the assembly and joining the BJP led to the fall of the then Kamal Nath government on March 20. After this, the BJP led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan returned to power in the state on March 23. Earlier in the last Lok Sabha elections, he had performed various religious rituals in support of Congress candidate Digvijay Singh from Bhopal seat.
