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Week on, police yet to register FIR in Bathinda land encroachment case
A week after the Bathinda deputy commissioner (DC) recommended lodging a first information report (FIR) against four persons including a city-based private doctor, for encroaching upon 12,000 yards of public land worth crores of rupees, the police authorities are yet to take any action in the matter.
A week after the Bathinda deputy commissioner (DC) recommended lodging a first information report (FIR) against four persons including a city-based private doctor, for encroaching upon 12,000 yards of public land worth crores of rupees, the police authorities are yet to take any action in the matter.
The issue of a report on land-grabbing findings was first published in these columns on January 29.
An office order sent by the civil administration to the Bathinda senior superintendent of police (SSP) on January 25 carried the names of the accused. It also mentioned the name of a tehsildar for his alleged role in unauthorised execution of the sale and purchase of the encroached land.
Also, the name of a kanungo is mentioned in the report with evidence that the officer submitted a false report to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) that the PSPCL did not own the land.
Superintendent of police (city) Narinder Singh said on Wednesday the matter is under consideration by the SSP.
Bathinda SSP Harmanbir Singh Gill remained unavailable for comments.
As per the civil administration’s report that was based on scrutiny of revenue records, the prime land on the city’s outskirts is owned by the PSPCL.
It was bought by a Bathinda radiologist Dr Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in 2022 from two brothers — Gurwinder Singh and Sukhwinder Singh. Official sources said following scrutiny of the papers with buyers and purchasers and their interviews, the role of a real estate agent, Ashok Kumar also came to light.
In the letter, the administration wanted an FIR against the four under various sections, including 420 (cheating), 447 (criminal trespass), 465 (forgery) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
The area in question is located near the defunct Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant on the Bathinda-Malout road, the prime location which is being developed by private and public sectors. A new bus stand is also scheduled to be built in the same locality.
Official sources said the collector rate in the said area is about ₹20,000 per square yard whereas the market value of the land is nearly ₹50,000 per yard.
An official privy to the probe said following a complaint against Dr Shekhawat and others, the civil administration came across a revenue record dating back to 1973 that showed that around 50 bigha or 50,000 square yards belonged to government land and scrutiny of other pieces of land in the vicinity was started.
“The map was worked out by an engineer of the state power agency and the revenue authorities. Redressing a case of unauthorised sale and purchase of land in the area, there were inputs that more land in the zone is in the possession of unauthorised persons. After which about 80 persons have been served notices for examining the land ownership documents,” added the official.
Dr Shekhawat claimed that he is being victimised and he will fight the charges in court.
He said, “There were several encroachments in the area, but I was singled out even when I bought the land after paying taxes.”
He added, “I bought the land after verifying the ownership records from the PSPCL, municipal corporation and the local revenue department. I got the land registered in the local office in 2022 but no objection was raised.”
Shekhawat said he has brought the matter to the notice of a Union minister.
