Former Haryana home secy among four booked for 2019 land grab

On January 3, 2025, a Sohna court ordered an FIR be registered against the retired home secretary, an inspector, an ASI and a private individual

Gurugram: A retired home secretary of Haryana government and three others, including police officers, have been booked for allegedly attempting to grab land from a farmer at Behlpa in Bhondsi locality of Gurugram six years ago, police said on Friday.

No first information report (FIR) was registered at that time despite complaints from the 40-year-old land owner Rajender Singh, a farmer, prompting him to move court over the January 5, 2019 incident, seven months after which the IAS officer had superannuated. (Representational image)

Investigators said that no first information report (FIR) was registered at that time despite complaints from the 40-year-old land owner Rajender Singh, a farmer, prompting him to move court over the January 5, 2019 incident, seven months after which the IAS officer had superannuated.

On January 3, 2025, a Sohna court ordered an FIR be registered against the retired home secretary, an inspector and an assistant sub-inspector of police, and a private person. On Wednesday night (January 8), the FIR was lodged at Bhondsi police station under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of ₹50 or above), 447 (criminal trespass) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code, officers said on Friday.

The complainant also submitted photos and videos of the incident. The inspector served as the SHO of Bhondsi police station back then.

As per the FIR, a copy of which is with HT, the complainant owned 12.16 acres in Behlpa, an ancestral property. He alleged that the officer (home secretary), in service back then, purchased a portion of the land. But its demarcation was not done.

However, on January 5, 2019, the officer visited the spot and with help of police forcibly destroyed Singh’s crops on the land using an earth mover and captured a major part by digging pits as demarcation, demolishing the farmer’s fencing.

Singh alleged that police also assaulted him as he and his family tried to prevent the JCB action on their land.

“I am forced to move court as local police, instead of doing justice, were favouring the bureaucrat and not taking any action against him,” he said in the complaint turned into FIR.

Sandeep Kumar, public relations officer, Gurugram police, said that a probe has been launched after the FIR as per court orders. “A report will be submitted to the court and further action will be taken as per the directions,” he said.