Attack on martyr’s family: At heart of 44-year-old land dispute

The land dispute that allegedly resulted in the family of a 1971 Indo-Pak war martyr Hawaldar Kartar Singh being attacked by a group of 30 people in Laxman Vihar

The land dispute that allegedly resulted in the family of a 1971 Indo-Pak war martyr Hawaldar Kartar Singh being attacked by a group of 30 people in Laxman Vihar area on Monday evening is more than four decades old.

The family members of Hawaldar Kartar Singh were thrashed by a group of 30 people on Monday evening. (HT Photo)

According to the family, the problem started in 1972 when they bought the land, nearly 350sq yards, from Bhooleram Pandit. But some villagers of Dhanwapur staked claim over the land. They said that their forefathers had given the land to Pandit in charity and so he could not sell it.

But the martyr’s family said that Pandit gave them the land on lease for 99 years and they have the documents.

“We bought the land from Pandit. But villagers in Dhanwapur have been eying this land since then. Now, they have turned violent and beat us to grab it,” said Amarjeet Singh, son of the martyr who was also injured in the attack.

The matter recently reached the court that asked both the parties to maintain status quo. The family, led by the martyr’s wife Sarti Devi, took the matter to chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar during his Gurgaon visit on Sunday. The local police told the CM that land was registered in Sarti Devi’s name since 1972.

On a complaint filed by martyr’s wife, the police have lodged a case against 25 people, all from Dhanwapur. No one has been arrested yet.

“It is a case of attempt to grab the land registered with the martyr’s family for 44 years. We have lodged an FIR and are investigating it. The accused will be arrested soon,” said Rohatah, sub-inspector investigating the case.