Mathura (UP), June 2 (IANS): Exactly four years ago, on June 2, 2016, the Jawahar Bagh Park in Mathura witnessed a bloody clash between the police and the followers of Ram Vriksha Yadav, a self-styled godman who had encroached upon the park.

The violence that preceded the eviction of Yadav and his 2,000-odd followers claimed the lives of 29 people, including the then SP (City), Mukul Dwivedi, and SO, Farah, Santosh Yadav.

The godman and his followers set the park on fire to stop the police from entering, and more than 5,000 trees were charred as a result.

The Jawahar Bagh Park has now been given a makeover and will be thrown open to the public, tentatively in August.

The park has been redeveloped on the pattern of the Ram Manohar Lohia Park in Lucknow, at a cost of about Rs 12.22 crore.

The 280-acre park, which was illegally occupied by Ram Vriksha Yadav, has been beautified with ornamental, aromatic plants, lightening, a children's arena with swings, open gym, yoga platform, a 4.5 km walking track, 1 km jogging track, food court and an open-air theatre with a capacity of 400 people within the complex.

According to the District Horticulture Officer (DHO), Jagdish Prasad, "Around 5,000 plants including divine trees associated with 27 Nakshatras will also be planted as the monsoon sets in."

Meanwhile, the families of the slain police officers have demanded that the renovated Jawahar Park should be renamed as ‘Mukul-Santosh Udyan', in the memory of the two police officers who lost their lives in the violence.