Earlier in the day, OpIndia reported how a temporary Coronavirus treatment facility set up by Hemkunt Foundation in Sector 61 of Gurugram, Haryana was removed over allegations of turning it into a warehouse and giving ration to farmer protestors.
Following the removal of the temporary Coronavirus treatment facility, a member of the NGO, Jitendra Pal Singh, has filed a complaint against the owner of land namely, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) leader Vinesh Gurjar and the tent house operator Jagat Singh Yadav alias Babli. The complaint has been registered on June 3rd, 2021, at the police station in Sector 65, Gurugram under sections 323, 427, 506 of the IPC.
The police confirmed that an FIR has been registered under sections of criminal intimidation, mischief causing damage and voluntarily causing hurt.
Subhash Boken, Gurgaon Police PRO, said: “We will be conducting an enquiry in the matter. The organisation was in contact with a tent house company and was in possession of the land through a verbal agreement. Since there were no patients at the centre, the company asked the volunteers to vacate the place. There was a dispute over this. We have received a complaint from the volunteers and will take action.”
Meanwhile, Jagat Singh, the tent house operator, said: “We gave this land to the foundation for a makeshift Covid centre for just two months. There was no patient in it for many days owing to a dip in the number of cases and the landowner asked them to vacate the land.
“Some of the volunteers of the foundation told him that they are distributing ration kit in farmers protest and we can’t let the land as warehouse. We informed the foundation four days ago but they have not vacated yet,” added Singh.
According to information from sources, the place is generally rented out to people to conduct marriages. Since it was vacant, the owner of the property leased it to the controversial NGO for a period of two months after the Community development director of Hemkunt Foundation, Harteerath Singh, had asked for a 20,000 sq. ft land to set up a Covid-19 centre.
Hemkunt Foundation started the Covid relief camp on May 4th, 2021. 36 beds were set up inside the tent. A separate small tent was set up near this camp where Covid-19 tests were conducted on people.
According to information, the NGO refused to admit patients who tested positive for Covid-19. They were sent to different hospitals. Only individuals with breathing problems who need oxygen were accommodated at the foundation. These individuals were released after receiving oxygen for a day or two.
Only 15 to 17 patients were seen until roughly 15 days after the organisation began operating this camp. The tent facility provider, meanwhile accused the NGO of trying to make it into a warehouse while there are no patients in the last 10 days.
Covid relief centre converted into a warehouse by the Hemkunt foundation
When inquired, it was discovered that between May 20, 2021, to June 3, 2021, over 4/5 of a large canister of rations arrived at the relief camp, mostly consisting of flour, rice, all pulses, sugar, and spices. It was then dispatched to Delhi. Even today, a large quantity of ration is stored in this makeshift Covid Care Center.
When the owner of the land learnt that the place was being used as a warehouse, he asked the foundation to vacate the plot. When Hemkunt Foundation failed to vacate the area, the owner approached the subdivisional magistrate of Badshahpur, Satish Yadav, who visited the place to take stock of the situation.
Deepak Kumar, SHO of Sector 65 police station, stated that as soon as a complaint was received, a police squad and the subdivisional magistrate of Badshahpur, Satish Yadav, went to the spot. “The landowner is planning to set up his own makeshift oxygen centre for residents and they have been asking the Hemkunt Foundation to vacate. There is no legal or written agreement between the parties, due to which they are bound to vacate the private property. We have intervened and given two days to shift their set up,” said Kumar.
Hemkunt Foundation’s connections with celebrities and state administration
Speaking about Hemkunt Foundation’s clout and connections, a volunteer working at the makeshift Covid relief centre, informed that Bollywood actor Salman Khan had donated 4 ambulances to Hemkunt Foundation which were used at this facility. He furthered that almost 10 to 15 luxury vehicles belonging to Maharashtra state Government used to be parked here at this Covid centre at all times. On May 3 also, 3 Maharashtra Government’s luxury cars bearing numbers MH-01CT-5461, MH-01DE-2830 and MH-14JA-4202, were parked outside the facility, informed the volunteer.
Earlier OpIndia reported how the foundation has collected funds from foreign donors through crowdfunding websites such as Ketto, Milaap and DonateKart.
It has to be noted that Hemkunt Foundation was one of the main organizations after Khalsa Aid to be working at farmer protest sites at Delhi borders. They had set up a tent city for the protesting farmers.
We also reported how Hemkunt might be breaking FCRA laws under the pretext of collecting funds for Covid-19 relief, as its name does not show up in the directory of NGOs registered in India maintained by the Government of India.
Hemkunt Foundation claims ‘goons’ destroyed their Coronavirus treatment facility
In a statement, the NGO alleged, “We need your help! Our O2 Centre at Gurgaon was destroyed forcefully today and our belongings were damaged. To continue helping everyone in need, we need access to 20,000 sq. ft. land at or near the City Centre of Gurgaon. Please help us spread the word.”
Hemkunt Foundation has claimed that a group of men ambushed the centre and destroyed it for exceeding the two-month lease period. It has also allegedly paid ₹3.5 lacs as maintenance. Following the incident, a team of police headed by SDM (Badshahpur) Satish Yadav went to the spot to defuse the situation. SDM Yadav said, “We are talking with foundation members and land owner and have asked them to give some time to vacate the land as the foundation is doing social work.”
Now the Foundation has filed a complaint based on which the Gurugram police booked 22 people. Out of the 22, only two, including the landowner, were named in the FIR, said the police.