Demolition fallout: 4 booked in Jalandhar’s Latifpura land registration scam
Almost six weeks after Jalandhar Improvement Trust demolished structures on 241 marla land in Jalandhar’s Latifpura locality, the Trust has got a forgery case registered against four persons spearheading the protest and demanding rehabilitation at the same site.
Almost six weeks after Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) demolished structures on 241 marla land in Jalandhar’s Latifpura locality, the Trust has got a forgery case registered against four persons spearheading the protest and demanding rehabilitation at the same site.
Apart from the four persons booked for allegedly fraudulently getting Trust’s land registered in their names without mentioning khasra names, their families members have also been named in the FIR.
A large chunk of land cleared of the encroachment,belonged to the persons named in the FIR registered at the New Baradari police station. The case has been registered under Section 420 and 120-B of Indian Penal Code and Section 82 of the Registration Act. One of the accused Dinesh Dhir is a former councillor from Sultanpur Lodhi town.
It is learnt that the government is keen to resolve the Latifpura issue well before the declaration of bye-polls to the Jalandhar Lok Sabha which has become imminent after the death of MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary.
However, the stern action taken by JIT, may further agitate the protesters who have already resolved to gherao the Punjab governor when he arrives in the city to preside over Republic Day function. A number of other farmer and labour organisations have extended them support.
Calling it a ploy to pressurise agitators, members of the Latifpura Rehabilitation Committee questioned as to why no action was taken till now if the alleged fake registries were executed between 2006 and 2013. “The FIR means nothing to us. We will continue our struggle till the government accepts our demand of rehabilitating us at the same place,” said Kashmir Singh Ghugsher, one of the members of the rehabilitation committee.
Latifpura residents, whose houses were razed on December 9, claim that they have been living at the site since Partition, stressing that they would not let the government uproot them once again. They have rejected the offer of flats at alternate sites fearing yet another de location at a later stage.
Meanwhile, JIT chairman Jagtar Singh Sanghera said that the government would negotiate with genuine contenders only and those who were actually needy would be provided alternate space.
“The crorepatis who have palatial homes or drive in Audis should not expect any relief,” he said, pointing to the alleged land sharks who possessed improvement trust land in Latifpura.