Mild tension at Gandhi Darshan amid dispute over managing committee

Mild tension prevailed at Gandhi Darshan in the Nampally Exhibition Grounds on Thursday amid allegations of trespassing and an ongoing dispute over the facility’s management.

The Exhibition Society, in a letter dated December 23, informed the Begum Bazar police that a new managing committee had been constituted for Gandhi Darshan, stating that no authorised committee existed earlier. It alleged that a man named Prasad Gollanapalli was functioning unilaterally without authorisation from the Sarvodaya Vichar and Prachar Trust and had failed to produce documentary proof despite assurances to the police.

Meanwhile, Gollanapalli claimed that he was the secretary of Gandhi Darshan and alleged that members of the Exhibition Society had forcibly entered Gandhi Darshan on Thursday evening, thrown out Gandhian material, literature and other items, and locked the premises. He accused the Society and the Telangana Gandhi Smarak Nidhi of vandalism and attempts to destroy Gandhian legacy.

The matter was referred to the All India Gandhi Smarak Nidhi in New Delhi, as provided under the agreement governing Gandhi Darshan. The Nidhi nominated Manish Chaudhary of Domalguda, K. Ranga Ra as secretary of the Telangana Gandhi Smarak Nidhi and Nagasuri Venugopal of Begumpet to the committee.

Following this, the Exhibition Society convened an urgent meeting on December 22 and nominated three of its members, Aditya Margam, Shankar Lal Baldava and Bolla Anand Kumar to the managing committee, completing its constitution.

Mr. Margam, the newly elected chairperson of the committee, denied allegations of vandalisation and said that they had unlocked the premises on Thursday in order to prepare for the upcoming exhibition.

The Society clarified that Gollanapalli had not been nominated by the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi and therefore, had no authority to represent or act on behalf of Gandhi Darshan. The communication, signed by honorary secretary B. N. Rajeshwar, requested the police to take note of the developments and initiate necessary action.