On March 12, 2018, Gagan Singh, personal assistant to a local politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led a mob of 60 men and forcefully entered the Pushpa Mission Hospital in Ujjain. They destroyed property and attacked the hospital staff, assaulting female workers. The attack was connected to a land dispute over a property adjacent to the hospital, which both the BJP leader and the Diocese of Ujjain claimed to be theirs. According to Chintamani Malviya, spokesperson and BJP MP from the stated, the hospital had encroached on private property. Malviya also alleged that the petitioner (the Diocese of Ujjain) had earlier lost the case in the Madhya Pradesh High Court and lower courts, following which the land owner demolished the unauthorised construction since the Diocese failed to vacate it. He further maintained that neither the owner nor his men attacked nurses. Citing similar attacks in January 2018, the Diocese strongly condemned the incident, claiming it to be a systematic plan to create disturbance and violence. According to the hospital staff, the police and officials failed to respond to their pleas for help. Bishop Vadakkel told the media that "even staff nurses who approached the women's police station to lodge a complaint were turned away". In March 2018, Father Anthony from the Diocese filed an FIR against both the parties. The same year, a counter petition (MP No. 4607/2018) was filed in the High Court by Neelam Singh, daughter of Gagan Singh, against the Diocese. In January 2019, the High Court issued an order in favour of the Diocese. The court emphasised the duty of the state to prevent dispossession of land without following the due process of law. However, the case for land ownership is still pending in the civil court.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Government Bodies Involved in the Conflict:
Government of Madhya Pradesh
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Other Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Catholic Church , Bharatiya Janata Party
Legislations Involved in the Conflict:
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Legal Status:
In Court
Name(s) of Court(s)
High Court of Madhya Pradesh
Case Number
Miscellaneous Petition No. 4607 of 2018
Nature of Protest
Complaints, petitions, memorandums to officials
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Physical attack, Threats/intimidation
Reported Details of the Violation:
A mob of 60 men forcefully entered the Pushpa Mission Hospital in Ujjain. They destroyed the property and attacked the hospital staff.
Date of Violation
March 12, 2018
Location of Violation
Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?