Arrested patwari Balkar’s kin deny Punjab VB claims, say all land purchases legal

The arrest led to Revenue Patwar Union and the Revenue Kanungo Association calling for an indefinite pen-down strike from September 1 and forcing the state govt to invoke ESMA

The ongoing tiff between the Punjab government and revenue officials over the registration of an FIR against a patwari and a kanungo which led to the invoking of Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) in the state, took a fresh turn on Wednesday when kin of patwari Balkar Singh, who was arrested two days ago, appeared before media to say that the family owns 32.5-acres land which they have purchased from known sources of income over time.

Kin of patwari Balkar Singh, who was arrested two days ago by Punjab VB , appeared before media to say that the family owns 32.5-acres land which they have purchased from known sources of income over time.

According to Balkar’s brother Balwinder Singh, the claims made by the vigilance bureau that the family owns 55 acres of land lacks basis and in case more land is found in the name of family members the government is free to seize it.

“Family has three brothers, including Balkar Singh. We purchased two kanals in 1992, 4 kanals in 1996, 5 kanals in 1997 and 11 kanals in 2011, which make a total of 22 kanals (8 kanals make one acre). The family had four acres of land way back in 1991 when the terrorists killed our father,” Balwinder said.

“Apart from the land the family owns, we take around 35 acres of land on lease for agriculture and income of which is used to purchase more land,” Balwinder added.

He appealed to the vigilance bureau and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann for an unbiased investigation.

The VB’s investigation, however, has revealed that the accused patwari was involved in approximately 33 land transactions carried out in the names of his family members. Following his arrest on August 24, the VB searched his residence. During this, they discovered a bag containing documents related to 21 land deals. Subsequently, during their ongoing investigation, 10 more such documents were recovered.

As per VB, the accused patwari owns a 400-square-yard house and two commercial plots in Patiala, with a total value of ₹3.5 crore.

According to Patiala range VB SSP Jagatpreet Singh if Balkar’s family has documentary evidence to prove their claims they can submit before the vigilance investigating teams for early disposal of the case.