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Manesar land deal: CBI raids ex-Haryana CM Hooda’s house
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at the residences of two-time former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, a sitting UPSC member, a serving IAS officer and several retired and serving employees of the state town and country planning department on Saturday in a case of acquisition of land at Manesar in Gurgaon district in which farmers were allegedly cheated of Rs 1,500 crore.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at the residences of two-time former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, a sitting UPSC member, a serving IAS officer and several retired and serving employees of the state town and country planning department on Saturday in a case of acquisition of land at Manesar in Gurgaon district in which farmers were allegedly cheated of Rs 1,500 crore.
The raids were carried out simultaneously at 24 places in Delhi, Rohtak, Chandigarh, Panchkula and Gurgaon since Saturday morning. Besides Hooda’s residence and election-cum-camp office in Rohtak, his official flat in Sector 3 of Chandigarh was also searched.
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“The searches were conducted in an ongoing investigation of a case. The incriminating documents/material recovered during searches are being scrutinised,” CBI spokesperson RK Gaur said.
The premises of UPSC member Chhatar Singh, retired IAS officer ML Tayal, both posted in the chief minister’s office at that time, and a serving IAS officer and the then town and country planning director Sudeep Singh Dhillon were also searched.
Others whose premises were searched included then officers on special duty (OSDs) Mahender Singh Chopra and Randhir Singh, former chief town planner Dhare Singh, ABW Infrastructure Limited founder director Atul Bansal and another businessman Amit Bansal, according to sources.
The role of firms such as Innovative Infra Developers, Flair Private Limited is also under the scanner.
Case background
The CBI registered the case in September 2015 on allegations that private builders in conspiracy with public servants of the state government had bought 400 acres from farmers and land owners of Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula in Gurgaon district at throwaway prices, under the threat of acquisition by the government between 2004 and 2007.
There is an allegation that the state government had issued notices for acquisition of 912 acres for setting up an Industrial Model Township. When private builders bought the land from the farmers and other land owners, the land was released in violation of the government policy, in favour of the builders, their companies and agents, instead of the original landowners, it is alleged.
After the BJP came to power in the state two years ago, the state police registered a case in Gurgaon that was handed over to the CBI last year. In Rohtak, the CBI teams carried out searches at Hooda’s farmhouse on Gohana road, his paternal residence in Adarsh Nagar and his election-cum-camp office in Model Town.
Congress activists protest
While the former CM was in Delhi, his brother-in-law Chandersen Dahiya was the only family member in the house. As soon as the news of raids spread, Congress MLAs and supporters started gathering outside Hooda’s residence, but not allowed to enter the premises.
While Congress MLAs Shakuntala Khatak, spokesperson Krishan Murti Hooda and ex-MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra tried to go into the house, others created a ruckus. They raised slogans against the government, calling the CBI action politically motivated. The police responded by putting up barricades and sealing the road. The administration also deployed men from the Rapid Action Force to cordon off the area.
Batra said that the search party had sealed a computer and monitor, besides studying documents. The CBI asked questions about cash of Rs 14 lakh in the house. Batra said the money was the proceeds from the sale at a petrol pump and was returned. A CBI officer went to the petrol pump to check if the sales data matched with the cash in the house, he said.
