Controversy over the ancestral house of Bollywood legend Kishore Kumar has further amplified with his son issuing a legal notice to the buyer of the property. His playback singer son Amit Kumar has published a legal notice in local newspapers cautioning all those who have struck a deal to purchase the 7,655 sqft 'Ganguly House' in Bombay Bazar area of Khandwa town in Madhya Pradesh.
Fans of the legendary singer have been opposing the move to sell his childhood home to Mumbai-based property developer Abhay Jain. According to reports, Abhay Jain, hailing from Khandwa, had made a deal with Arjun Kumar to buy this property for a whopping amount of Rs 14 crore. Arjun is the son of Anup Kumar, Kishore Kumar's brother.
Arjun Kumar claimed that the property was given to his father by Kishore Kumar and that 75 per cent of the property is in his name as per official records. He is the owner of majority of land while Amit Kumar owns only 25 per cent of the property.
Earlier, fans of Kishore Kumar had said that they will not allow sale of the property. They also urged the state government to acquire the property and convert it into a heritage site as a tribute to the singer.
Currently, 11 families live in various sections of the property along with a caretaker Sitaram who was appointed by the Ganguly family. Kishore Kumar was born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly in Khandwa. His father Kunjilal Ganguly was a lawyer. Kishore Kumar was very emotionally attached to his ancestral house. He was a regular visitor to the place during his stardom years. His last rites were performed at the same house in 1987.
There has been a dispute among the sons of Kishore Kumar and Anup Kumar over the sale of property for a long time. On Sunday, Amit Kumar, who lives in Mumbai, published a notice in the local newspapers of Khandwa, restraining buyers to get into a deal with his cousin Arjun Kumar. The notice issued by advocate Gupteshwar Soni on behalf of Amit Kumar said that ‘’the property is jointly registered in the name of Amit Kumar and Arjun Kumar in revenue records and it cannot be sold without the former's consent. The ancestral property is still not mutated and family members do not know which part of the house is owned by whom’’.
Due to the controversy and public sentiments attached to the property, the demolition notice pasted on the house by Municipal Corporation of Khandwa was met with severe opposition. The two-storey house is in a dilapidated condition. Municipal authorities had declared it is not fit for habitation and should be vacated immediately. Few months ago, a portion of the house collapsed due to lack of maintenance.