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Major victory for the persistent struggle of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and Hindu Rashtra Sena
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Law and Judiciary Minister Ashish Jaiswal directs Solapur Collector to submit detailed enquiry report
Solapur, Maharashtra – Following consistent follow-up by the ‘Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS)’ and the ‘Hindu Rashtra Sena’, the Solapur Municipal Corporation (SMC) and the Maharashtra State Government have initiated strict action into the illegal conversion of a government building into a church, and the alleged malpractices of an SMC employee.
🚩 A major victory for persistent civic action!
The sustained efforts of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and Hindu Rashtra Sena have yielded results. Following the Solapur Municipal Commissioner’s action, the Maharashtra Government has also stepped in to investigate the alleged illegal… pic.twitter.com/Ljj4imMa52
— Sunil Ghanwat 🛕🛕 (@SG_HJS) July 1, 2026
Solapur Municipal Commissioner Dr Sachin Ombase (IAS) has ordered a thorough investigation into Dattatray Kanepagul, alias Yehan Mark Kanepagul, a clerk in the SMC health department. Kanepagul is accused of illegally using a government community centre (Samaj Mandir) at Bapuji Nagar as a church, inciting religious tension, and securing a government job by exploiting reservations meant for the Hindu community. The Commissioner has directed the Deputy Commissioner of the General Administration Department, Mrs Sonali Yadav, to submit a detailed report immediately.
Relentless struggle by Hindu organisations
The Hindu Rashtra Sena and Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) had been relentlessly pursuing this serious matter for several years. Taking swift note of its gravity, Solapur’s former minister and current MLA, Shri Subhash Deshmukh, aggressively demanded a time-bound enquiry from the SMC Commissioner. This political intervention, combined with the long-drawn struggle of Hindu organisations, has yielded this major success.
Law and Judiciary Minister intervenes; orders probe
Considering the social sensitivity of the matter, Maharashtra’s Minister of State for Law and Judiciary, Ashish Jaiswal, directly intervened and ordered the Solapur District Collector to probe the entire matter comprehensively and submit a report. With both the SMC Commissioner and the State Minister initiating simultaneous probes, a 360-degree, multi-angled investigation has now been guaranteed.
Encroachment, reservation fraud, and insult to national icons
The SMC had leased this hall strictly for social, cultural, and educational activities. However, even though the lease period has long expired, all conditions were thrown to the wind to illegally transform the public property into a ‘Church’. This gave rise to serious complaints about blaring loudspeakers, forced conversions of underprivileged Hindus, and derogatory remarks hurting religious sentiments.
Furthermore, the main accused SMC employee, Dattatraya Kanepagul, secured his government job by utilising the reservation meant for the ‘Hindu Mochi’ community, but he is currently practising as a Christian and serving as the Chief Pastor of the ‘Jesus Gospel Society’. Enjoying dual benefits while actively propagating Christianity during government service constitutes a serious offence of defrauding the state.
To make matters worse, local residents are strictly barred from celebrating the birth anniversaries of Bharat Ratna Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Jamamuni Maharaj inside this public hall, while highly objectionable speeches are repeatedly made via loudspeakers against Hindu deities in a calculated attempt to dismantle regional communal harmony.
Key demands of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti
The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti has put forth the following key demands to the administration:
- Immediate Sealing: The lease agreement of the ‘Jesus Gospel Society’ with the Municipal Corporation must be cancelled, the structure must be sealed immediately, and it should be reopened for the public use of ordinary citizens.
- Termination of Service: SMC employee Kanepagul should be terminated from service immediately for violating the ‘Maharashtra Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1979’.
- Criminal Action: His caste certificate must be re-verified, and strict criminal cases should be registered against him for defrauding the government by misusing Scheduled Caste (SC) reservations.
“We welcome the enquiry orders issued by the administration and the Minister for Law and Judiciary. The administration must now act swiftly without any delay, seal the unauthorised church structure within the next 15 days, and take strict legal action against the culprits. If no action is taken, a massive democratic agitation will be launched,” warned Mr Sunil Ghanwat, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh State Organiser of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti.
