Asaram's ashram in Himachal Pradesh under scanner over land grab allegations

Himachal Pradesh Thursday began a probe into alleged land grabbing by the ashram of controversial spiritual guru Asaram Bapu in Paonta Sahib town, 185 km from here, an official said.

"We are looking into the exact land allotted and the structures raised on the land by the ashram," sub-divisional magistrate Sharvan Manta said.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh Wednesday ordered a probe into the alleged land grabbing by the ashram.

He directed the local administration to quickly submit a report and remove all encroachments by ashram, official sources said.

The chief minister's action came after a complaint, said an official.

The ashram has allegedly encroached a huge chunk of forest land in Kunja Madralia village in Paonta Sahib subdivision in Sirmaur district, near Uttarakhand's Haridwar town.

Manta said the ashram has a printing press, a pharma unit and a huge hall.

Earlier, the state government took possession of the prime land in Solan district allotted to yoga guru Baba Ramdev for setting up his Patanjali Yogpeeth's branch.

It was found that the then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government violated statutory provisions in allotting the land in 2010.