The Uttar Pradesh government’s plan to remove over a dozen houses in the vicinity of the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur “for the deployment of police forces to provide security cover to the temple” has triggered an uproar.

The families affected by the state government’s move allege that they were made to sign consent forms under pressure and were not given complete information. The district administration, on the other hand, claims that the security plan is still in its nascent stages and no one is being coerced. All the families have signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) without any pressure, it claimed.

In this ground report from Gorakhpur, The Wire speaks to the families residing at the periphery of the temple and to the District Magistrate.