Indore district administration on Monday have freed 40,000 square feet of land worth Rs 13 crore from alleged encroachment by spiritual leader Namdevdas Tyagi, better known as Computer Baba. Tyagi, who held ministerial status under the previous Congress government in Madhya Pradesh as chairman of Nadi Sanrkashan Nyas (River Conservation Trust), is accused of illegal construction on encroached land.
Tyagi was on Sunday arrested along with his six associates in preventive action during demolition of alleged illegal construction at his ashram near here, police said.
Before being appointed head of a river trust in the Kamal Nath government, Tyagi was given MoS status by the previous BJP-led government also in the state. He, however, parted ways with the BJP ahead of 2018 Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, alleging that illegal sand mining was going on in the Narmada riverbed.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Rajesh Rathore on Monday said illegal construction on 20,000 square feet of land adjacent to a temple in the city's super corridor area was demolished, including those carried out on land included in a scheme of Indore Development Authority (IDA).
"The market value of this freed land is around Rs 5 crore. In another move, the administration's squad freed 20,000 square feet from the baba's illegal possession in the premises of Shri Dakshin Kali Peeth Trimahavidya temple in Ambikapuri Extension. This land has a market value of Rs 8 crore," he said. The SDM said Baba had illegally occupied the temple premises and constructed five rooms, all of which had been reclaimed now.
Meanwhile, the administration has also learnt about the alleged multiple bank accounts of Tyagi which had unusual amounts of money transactions. The Income Tax department is expected to be included in the probe soon.
Moreover, all sorts of luxuries including air-conditioned room, branded massage lotions, electronic gadgets, a luxury car, arms and ammunition are claimed to be recovered from Tyagi's asharam.
Congress working president Jitu Patwari, who met Tyagi in jail, called it a "political vendetta". "Computer Baba told me that he eulogised Shivraj Singh Chouhan for 15 years and was always praised by BJP then, but when he questioned illegal mining, he turned into a demon for them."
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh was also scheduled to meet Tyagi in jail but did not do so and left for Delhi.
Hitting back, BJP spokesperson JP Moolchandani said his party supported spiritual leaders who showed society the right path but "Computer Baba has done illegal construction on government land reserved for a cowshed".
(With inputs from PTI)