Pune: Protests against the 3.5-acre property deal between the trustees of Seth Hirachand Nemchand Digambar Jain Boarding Trust and Gokhale landmarks LLP continued unabated on Monday even after developer Vishal Gokhale conveyed his decision to exit the agreement via email on Sunday.Jain community members from Nashik and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts marched demanding the cancellation of the deal and action against the trustees.Acharya Guptinandi Maharaj, who is leading the protests, on Monday said that a written assurance from the developer was not enough and unless the cancellation deed is signed and govt scraps the deal, the agitation will not be withdrawn. “Protesters will start an indefinite fast until our demand is accepted. If govt cancels the deal, we will observe a one-day fast to support the decision,” he said.After a rally in Pune on Oct 17, agitators have been protesting on the trust’s property in Model Colony. Union minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol, who refuted allegations of his involvement in the deal, faced their wrath when he visited the hostel on Saturday to meet Guptinandi Maharaj. He later told them that a decision in favour of the Jain community would be taken.The religious leader sought action against the trustees for carrying out the sale of the property. He said, “The trustees are at fault. For their benefit, they sold a Jain temple on the property. It is unfortunate that we had to provide evidence of its existence on the premises.”A protester from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar said the temple is known as Saraswati temple. “Students who lived in the hostel here became CAs, CSs, and collectors. We are against the trust’s decision to sell the property. We will agitate until the deal is cancelled,” he said.Shiv Sena’s city unit chief Ravindra Dhangekar has continued with his criticism of Mohol. After meeting Guptinandi Maharaj on Monday, he said, “My fight is not against the BJP but those destroying Pune. I will continue to raise my voice until this deal is cancelled.”MVA members demanded Mohol’s resignation. Pune unit’s office bearers from Congress, NCP (SP), and Shiv Sena (UBT) demonstrated outside the joint charity commissioner’s office. Prashant Jagtap, Pune city unit chief of NCP (SP), said, “Last year, Mohol was in the hostel for a function on Mahavir Jayanti. The idea of selling the property was conceived then. He misused his position to help his business partner. He should immediately resign.”Trustee Chakor Gandhi, who resigned on Oct 5, told TOI that he opposed the deal and key documents related to the charity commissioner’s permission were not shared with him. “When I attended the meeting, I was under the impression that the temple would remain intact and only a new hostel building would be constructed. But the documents approved by the charity commissioner did not mention the temple. I was kept in the dark about it and several other developments,” Gandhi added. His resignation was accepted by the trustees in an online meeting on Oct 7 and the sale deed was finalised on Oct 8, he said. The trust had six members before he quit. Before him, Gandhi’s father and grandfather were with the trust for nearly 65 years. On Oct 20, the charity commissioner directed the joint charity commissioner in Pune to verify whether a Jain temple exists on the property and if redevelopment will affect it since the sale deed did not mention it. A hearing on the report will be held before the charity commissioner in Mumbai on Tuesday.
