Jan Sangharsh Morcha Demands CBI Probe and FIR Against Mastermind and Fraudsters in Municipal Corporation Land Scam
Workers of Jan Sangharsh Morcha, under the leadership of Morcha President and former GMVN Vice President Raghunath Singh Negi, staged a protest and gherao at the Tehsil office. They submitted a memorandum addressed to the Honorable Governor demanding a CBI investigation and FIR against the main mastermind/fraudster behind the Haridwar Municipal Corporation land purchase scam. In the absence of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Vikasnagar, the memorandum was handed over to Peshkar Smt. Sarita joshi.
Negi stated that the scam was carried out under the instruction and pressure of a well-connected mastermind/fraudulent official within the government. Although the subordinate officials acted under pressure and have been suspended and subjected to a vigilance inquiry (a commendable step by the government), the real mastermind remains untouched, which is a serious concern.
Sources reveal that chat messages from the mastermind’s mobile phone with the officials involved in the scam have surfaced in the media, showing how he pressured them to expedite the process.
Negi questioned how the land, which was essentially a garbage dump spanning nearly 30 bighas, had its land use changed overnight and was bought for ₹54 crores despite its actual value being ₹14 crores, causing a loss of ₹40 crores to the government.
Negi mentioned that an investigation has already been conducted by IAS officer Mr. Ranveer Singh Chauhan, as a result of which 12 officials have either been suspended or had their service extensions canceled. However, no FIR has been filed yet under the Economic Offenses Conspiracy or the Prevention of Corruption Act, which should have happened by now.
He emphasized that the suspended officials are being punished for the wrongdoings of the main fraudster, who has brought disrepute to the government.
The Morcha warned that if a CBI probe is not initiated soon and FIRs are not lodged against the corrupt officials and the mastermind, they will be compelled to approach the Honorable Court.
Participants in the gherao/protest included:
Morcha General Secretary Akash Panwar, Vijayram Sharma, Dilbagh Singh, Sardar Singh Chauhan, Mahipal Singh Rawat, Haji Asad, Anupam Kapil, Akram Salmani, Pramod Sharma, Parveen, Praveen Sharma (Pinny), Billu Gilbert, Vikram Pal, Sushil Bhardwaj, Darbar Singh Aswal, Bheem Singh Bisht, Govind Singh Negi, Nazir, Deepanshu Agrawal, Dinesh Rana, Ghafoor, Sunderlal Gairola, Nahid Khan, Shafiq Pandey, Naseem, Wasim, Sayra Bano, Nisha Khatun, Mahendra Singhal, Mehndi Hasan, Qayoom, Suman Kashyap, Vinod Jain, Bhagat Singh, Sandhya Guleriya, Saleem Mirza, Chhoti, Ashish Khadka, Nathiram, Dev Singh Chaudhary, Ankur Chaurasia, Jabir Hasan, Vinod Rawat, Rais, Christina, Sanjay Patel, Sunil Kumar, and others.
