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SIT questions two former SDMs in Sonbhadra case
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) questioned two IAS and PCS officers at the UP Police headquarters here on Thursday in connection with a probe into alleged land
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) questioned two IAS and PCS officers at the UP Police headquarters here on Thursday in connection with a probe into alleged land irregularities in Sonbhadra’s Umbha village where 11 tribal people were killed in indiscriminate firing by a local village pradhan and his aides in dispute over possession of farming land on July 17, an official said.
Manikandan, a 2016-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, and Provincial Civil Service (PCS) officer Vijay Prakash Tewari were posted as sub-divisional magistrates (SDM) of Ghorawal block, under whose jurisdiction Umbha village falls.
A senior official privy to the investigation said Tewari was posted as SDM Ghorawal at the time of the killings and the state government suspended him after the incident. Manikand was Tewari’s predecessor in the post.
He said the IAS officer was summoned for questioning as he ordered deployment of the police force to provide possession to village head Yagya Dutt, who was claiming ownership of the disputed land. The tribal people were, however, farming on the same land for past 50 years, he added.
He said the statements of both the officers were recorded and they will be called against if their claims were found contradictory during investigation.
The SIT led by deputy inspector general (DIG) J Ravinder Goud had earlier collected records related to the disputed land since 1957, he said.
Initial findings suggested the disputed land was in the name of the gram sabha till 1957, the officer said. “The land was transferred in the name of a trust and thereafter transferred in the names of two individuals in 1989. Moreover, the land was resold and registered in the name of the Umbha village pradhan Yagya Dutt in 2017,” he said.
“The tribal families continued to do farming on this land during all these years,” he said.
The SIT had earlier registered the case with its police station on August 5 on the basis of FIR lodged at Hazratganj police station. The FIR included the names of 28 people including 10 police personnel, six revenue departments’ officials and against the wives of two IAS officers Prabhat Kumar Mishra and Bhanu Pratap Sharma. The sections of fraud, forgery, criminal conspiracy and prevention of corruption act were included.
