Activist says she was prevented from entering Mundhwa land

Damania, who has repeatedly demanded Ajit Pawar’s resignation over the matter, said she went to the site to check the status of the land but staff of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) did not let her in

Activist Anjali Damania on Tuesday alleged that she was stopped from entering the disputed plot in Mundhwa that was sold to a company linked to Parth Pawar, son of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.

She claimed she was told to meet the BSI director in Pune and that the official refused to allow her to inspect the plot. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

Damania, who has repeatedly demanded Ajit Pawar’s resignation over the matter, said she went to the site to check the status of the land but staff of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) did not let her in. She claimed she was told to meet the BSI director in Pune and that the official refused to allow her to inspect the plot.

According to her, the land was allocated to the BSI for research purposes and she wanted to see the work being carried out there. She also said she wanted to verify who had recently entered the premises demanding control of the land.

The 40-acre parcel, valued at around ₹300 crore, was sold to Amadea Enterprises LLP, a firm associated with Parth Pawar. The transaction drew scrutiny after it emerged that the land is government-owned and that the firm received a stamp duty waiver of ₹21 crore. After the issue sparked controversy, police registered a case against one of the firm’s partners and several others, including a government employee, but not against Parth Pawar. Ajit Pawar later said the deal would be cancelled.