By Matters India Reporter
Ambala: A 176-year-old cemetery in Ambala, a city in Haryana state, is in a state of ruin as two parties remain locked in battle over its possession.
The Christian Cemetery, built in 1844 and spread over 20.54 acre land on Jagadhari Road in the Cantonment, has an estimated 200,000 graves. They include graves of around 66 World War I (1914-1918) soldiers, 20 Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) prisoners who fought in South Africa and those of a number of Britons from the pre-independence era.
It also has monuments of different regiments of the British Indian Army and cemetery angels, some damaged and others fallen.
“Everything is in a sad state of disrepair,” bemoans Redemptorist Father Antony Chacko, assistant parish priest of Ambala’s Holy Redeemer Catholic Church under the diocese of Simla-Chandigarh.
The cemetery is overtaken by long wild grass and weeds while spots are inundated by sewer water, reports The Hindustan Times of newspaper.
Father Patras Mundu, secretary and treasurer of the Ambala Cemetery Committee, says it is a common property belonging to all Christian denominations.
Father Mundu alleges that Shaukatt Masih Bhatti, an alleged Anglican bishop, has claimed the property saying it belongs to the Church of England.
Father Chacko says that the Anglican Church ceased to exists in India after the British left India in 1947.
“The declarations from Anglican Bishop of Canterbury, London, clearly say that there is no Anglican Church in India and neither any Bishop recognized in India as Anglican bishop,” the Redemptorist priest, told Matters India November 21. The priest cited the declarations dated October 20, 1999, and June 17, 2014 and October to prove his point.
According to him, Bhatti is a fraudster and land mafia impersonating as an Anglican bishop. “He has been threatening priests and pastors of other Churches by filing false police complaints,” Father Chacko explained.
Father Mundu claims that he has the documents to prove that the government of India is the landlord and the British High Commissioner holds the occupancy rights. The cemetery, he adds, is a state protected site, but illegal encroachments have come up along the boundary wall.
Father Chacko pointed out that some graves had been damaged by a demolition machine “while he (Bhatti) was cleaning the land to sell it.”
“In July, he brought in the machine and (damaged) many graves, including war graves. We complained to the police and have shown them the damaged graves too. Teams from Commonwealth War Graves (CWGC), British High Commission and Haryana Archaeology Department have visited the site and have expressed sadness at its unfortunate situation,” the Redemptorist priest added.
Bhatti has reportedly refuted the claims saying “I am the chairman of the Cemetery Committee from the last 15 years and Patras Mundu is not my secretary. I have a registry from 1864 to prove that the cemetery belongs to the Church of England along with some documents by the ministry of defence and other papers to prove my case.”
On the allegations of the graves being damaged by machinery brought by him, he adds that the claim is baseless and that the police have investigated the case and found nothing amiss.
Father Chacko quoted the Government Land Record Survey number 159 to point out that the land owner of the cemetery is the Indian government and the occupancy right and management is with the British High Commissioner in India.
“In the ‘Ministry of Defence’ notification February 7, 1977, the cemetery land was brought under Ambala Cantonment municipal council. The cemetery is also declared as Haryana State protected monument in 1993,” the Catholic priest said.
The cemetery functions under the Ambala Cemetery Committee formed under the guidelines of the British High Commissioner issued in 1949. The members of the committee are ex-officio priests-in- charge or pastors of the Churches – Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, St Paul CNI, United Church CNI, St Thomas Syrian Orthodox Church, Peniel Hall ( Pentecostal Church) and Bible Centre ( Brethren Church) of Ambala Cantonment.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has recognized the cemetery committee and has contacted its members, Father Chacko said.
Rajesh Kumar, secretary of the Ambala Sadar Municipal Council, says the land is disputed between two parties that have their own set of documents to prove they own it.
Police, meanwhile, say they are investigating the allegation of damage to the graves.
“We have received two complaints related to the cemetery. The other party says that the JCB (demolition machine) was brought in to clean the area. We are investigating the claim. Any FIR on the matter is yet to be lodged,” says Vikas Kumar, station in-charge, Ambala Cantonment police station.