Land Grabbers: Police and Land Mafias nexus exposesd- HC

SAGAR SURAJ

MOTIHARI: The HIGH COURT on Monday pulled up Motihari SP Navin Chandra Jha for not immediately arresting Amarjeet Ray and others allegedly involved in a case of land grabbing filed in Muffasil PS in July 2019. Hearing an anticipatory bail petition, the court of Justice Sandeep Kumar made a strong remark on Motihari police and issued a slew of directions to Motihari SP. The remarks however left Motihari police in a tizzy. While rejecting the bail plea in a case of land grabbing related to a piece of five Katha land located near RC Hero Honda Agency on NH 28, the Honorable court commented, ‘It seems that local police are in collusion with the persons who are involved in land grabbing”. Court also asked Motihari SP to give details to such cases in the district in which people have tried to forcibly grab the lands of persons without any order of competent court and what actions have been taken in such FIRs including the arresting. “Court can’t be mute spectator of the highhandedness of criminals capturing the lands of persons, who are helpless. DM and SP are there to protect the lands of persons, who are helpless. Such illegal activities and high handedness could not be allowed in the district, the court observed. The court also directed SP to serve show cause to investigating officer as to what prevented him from arresting the accused persons, who are having criminal antecedents. Ordering to file the compliance report by 16 November, 2021, the court remarked that it is apparent that accused persons are local goons involved professionally in evicting tenants. Notably, there is a land dispute between Ranjeet Kumar Gupta native of Jivdhara village and Amarjeet Ray, who belongs to Chandrahiya village. On the application of one Noori Alam and Shyamal Kishore Muffasil police filed a case against all the accused persons in 2019. The accused persons were alleged to have attacked Nirmal Dhaba , a hotel owned by Ranjeet Kumar Gupta and ransacked the hotel and made a murderous attack on the tenants to evict the land. They also tried to forcibly grab the disputed land. When asked SHO Muffasil police station said that the related incident and case is not in his knowledge. He is trying to know the case and the accused persons. The district police is alleged to have hand in gloves with land grabbers and allowed some of the accused persons to take bail from court. ‘Border News Mirror’ in its English and Hindi editions had highlighted the case and raised several questions on police. This is not the lone case in which police nexus with land grabbers have been exposed in the district. In the same Muffasil police station, police are not arresting accused persons in case number 604/20 filed by one Kafil Ekbal. The accused person Mukesh Singh is also carrying many criminal cases over his head.

Journalist demanded Rs 20 lakhs
Mukesh Singh is alleged to have put Kafil Ekbal under pressure for Rs 20 lakhs if he wants to continue possession on eight katha land located in Jamala locality in Motihari. A journalist Kafil Ekbal is running pillar to post for justice. In an another incident, One Subash Singh and his family was beaten and his house was forcibly grabbed by one Sudhir Shrivastava and others goons in Gopalpur locality in town. When Subhash visited town police to file an FIR, they were abused and police refused to register the offence. The victim also visited the SP office for justice but to no avail. 

FIR instituted after two months

However, the FIR could be instituted only after two months when CM Nitish Kumar directed Motihari DM Shirshat Kapil Ashok. Victim Subhash Singh filed a case bearing town PS case number 490/21 but police are yet to act against culprits. The land grabbers are still under illegal possession of the land despite the fact that Sudhir Shrivastva one of the grabbers himself had executed the land to Subash Singh through a registered sale deed earlier. A few months ago, near the town police station, realtors were grabbing a piece of land in broad daylight. In this case, the police nexus with realtors was clearly exposed as well. When police failed to benefit grabbers allegedly, they registered a false case against victim Shri Kishor Prasad and others and made it true also. When the victim ‘s application for FIR was denied by police, they filed a PIL in high court making SP Navin Chandra jha–a party in the case among others. This PIL is still pending in the high court.