Chhattisgarh EOW files charge sheet in Bharatmala land compensation case

EOW said its probe found revenue officials colluded with middlemen to manipulate land records by preparing fake partition and mutation entries

RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh Economic Offences Wing/Anti-Corruption Bureau (EOW/ACB) on Monday filed a charge sheet in connection with the land compensation fraud linked to the Bharatmala project, accusing government officials and private individuals of large-scale corruption.

The EOW has filed a 7,500-page charge sheet in the case (PIXABAY)

According to the 7,500-page charge sheet, the EOW investigation looked into irregularities in land division and mutation in the villages of Nayakbandha, Tokaro and Urla under the Raipur–Visakhapatnam highway project, where officials allegedly backdated records and falsified documents to claim higher compensation; payment of double compensation payment for land already acquired for the Nayakbandha reservoir; and fraudulent mutation and compensation obtained in the name of Uma Tiwari through forged documents.

The agency said its probe found that revenue officials colluded with middlemen to manipulate land records by preparing fake partition and mutation entries

These were used to claim inflated compensation amounts, causing a direct financial loss of ₹28 crore to the state exchequer.

Those named in the chargesheet include public servants Gopal Ram Verma and Narendra Kumar Nayak, and private individuals Uma Tiwari, Kedar Tiwari, Harmeet Singh Khanuja, Vijay Kumar Jain, Khemraj Koshle, Punuram Deshlahre, Bhojram Sahu, and Kundan Baghel.

In the Nayakbandha reservoir case, officials allegedly sanctioned a second round of compensation for land already acquired, leading to a loss of over ₹2 crore. Another ₹2 crore was allegedly siphoned off through the fraudulent claim made in the name of Uma Tiwari. “In total, the fraudulent activities caused an estimated loss of around ₹32 crore to the government,” the EOW said.

The probe also revealed that the alleged middleman Harmeet Singh Khanuja and his associates, in collusion with revenue officers, lured farmers with promises of higher compensation. Farmers were allegedly made to sign blank cheques and RTGS forms, and a large portion of the compensation amount was diverted into the accounts of Khanuja and his associate firms.

Besides, former water resources department officers Narendra Nayak and Gopal Verma, along with others, allegedly suppressed previous acquisition records and prepared false reports, resulting in further financial losses and depriving genuine farmers of their due compensation.

EOW said several officials — including Nirbhay Sahu (then Sub-Divisional Officer, Abhanpur), Dinesh Patel (Patwari), Roshan Lal Verma (Revenue Inspector), Shashikant Kurre (then Tehsildar), Jitendra Sahu (then Patwari, Nayakbandha), Basanti Ghritlahare (Patwari), Lakheshwar Prasad Kiran (then Naib Tehsildar, Gobra Nawapara) and Lekhram Devangan (Patwari) — were on the run or did not cooperate with them, hampering the collection of crucial evidence.

Separate charge sheets will be filed against them after completion of further investigation, the agency said.

Large volumes of land acquisition documents and financial records are still under scrutiny to determine the total extent of fraud and the role of additional officials and agents.

EOW added that similar irregularities have surfaced in other villages under the Bharatmala project, where the same accused and methods — particularly backdated partition and mutation entries which appear to have been used. Investigation in those cases is continuing.