Siliguri mayor Gautam Deb handed over the mutation papers of Sewak House to the Ramakrishna Mission on Friday.

Deb, who reached the property that is off Sevoke Road in ward 42 of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC), was accompanied by deputy mayor Ranjan Sarkar, chairman Pratul Chakraborty and several other councillors.

He said the RKM authorities had submitted an application to the civic board for the mutation of their property.

“Chief minister Mamata Banerjee instructed me to complete the necessary formalities as early as possible. According to her instruction, I reached here along with the deputy mayor and our councillors and handed over the documents to them,” said the mayor.

The property is located on a plot of 1.59 acres. It was gifted to the RKM by Siliguri resident Sunil Roy who is no more.

On Sunday early morning, a gang of goons raided Sewak House and attacked security guards and workers of the RKM. The gang took them away in a car and later released them with a warning that they keep away from the property.

The RKM authorities filed a complaint at Bhaktinagar police station and soon,
Pradip Roy, who is also from ward 42, filed a counter-complaint against a monk and some others while claiming that he was the legal heir to the property.

The police later arrested five suspected attackers.

When Deb and others went to Sewak House on Friday, they were welcomed by Swami Shivapremananda, secretary of RKM’s Jalpaiguri unit, and other monks.

“We have provided them with the mutation papers and the holding tax receipt. They are free to continue their activities from here,” said the mayor.

During the investigation, the police found that the RKM, and not Pradip Roy, was the rightful owner of the property.

Deb said the chief minister was closely associated
with the philanthropic services carried out by the
RKM across the state.

“We are well aware of the philanthropic services of the RKM. Several infrastructure projects were carried out for the RKM according to the plans of the chief minister. She has handed over the famous Roy Villa of Darjeeling, the last abode of Sister Nivedita, to the RKM,” said Deb.

The mayor’s visit is being seen as an attempt to placate the grievance which several monks of different organisations had articulated after chief minister Mamata Banerjee had verbally attacked one or two monks at her election rallies.

Deb, when asked about the highhandedness of land grabbers in and around the city, said no one would be spared.

“Anybody involved in land grabbing or attempts to encroach upon a property will face consequences. We have asked the police to act against such people,” said the mayor.

The police said they were interrogating all the five persons, who were arrested and were in their custody, to collect more information about the gang that had been involved in the attack. “Searches are on to nab Pradip Roy, the principal accused, and some others,” said a police officer.