CM orders inquiry after allegations of illegal land sale to ‘people of particular community’ in Nainital

Editorial Comment

• The population growth of Muslim migrants and their dominance in local businesses has been so rapid that native Hindus are losing out on jobs and livelihoods. The illegal land encroachment by this community, illegally built ‘kutcha’ houses converted to permanent structures on encroached land are serious matters, which needs to be investigated by the Government.

Nainital (Uttarakhand) – Another case of alleged illegal sale of land has come to light in Uttarakhand. As per reports, on 22^nd and 23^rd September, people of a particular community bought a large plot (11 Nali or 23,760 sq. ft.) of land from people of the SC/ST community, which is not possible without the Collector’s approval as per State law. A newspaper reached out to BJP leader Ajendra Ajay who had brought the case to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s knowledge. Reports suggest that a high-level inquiry has been initiated in the case.

Land not bought with prior approval of the Collector

While talking to the newspaper, Ajendra said that people hailing from Aligarh, Sambhal, etc., bought a large piece of land from residents belonging to the Scheduled Caste community in Village Sarna, District Nainital, Uttarakhand. A total of 13 registries were done in 2 days. According to Uttarakhand Zamindar Destruction and Land Reform Act 1950, any land that belongs to a person from the Scheduled Caste community can be sold or transferred only after the prior approval of the Collector.

Illegal conversion of land and shady dealings

Ajendra added that locals had approached him about the land deal and alleged that the land was illegally converted from agriculture to non-agriculture. He said the landowners, who belonged to Scheduled Castes, were threatened and lured to sell the land. Notably, wives of those who had sold the land also submitted their objections and filed a complaint regarding the sale. In their complaint, they said that the land deal had an adverse impact on their lives, and there was a loan on the land as well.

He added that there were multiple partners, and permission was not sought from everyone before selling the land. The partners have also raised objections over the land deal.

Land bought anonymously by organisations

Another issue that Ajendra raised regarding the deal was the price paid to the landowners. He said that the market value had been shown less than 10% compared to the original price in the land deal. Also, the payment was made in cash, which raises concerns over who bought the land. He said it is possible that a person or organisation has purchased the land anonymously. Locals are not comfortable with registries being done in the name of people from a particular community who do not belong here. They believe that more people from the particular community may try to buy land in a similar way in future that will have an impact on the demographics of the region.

Uttarakhand’s demographic change harmful for the security of our country

Uttarakhand is also known as Dev Bhoomi and there are numerous Hindu shrines in the region; it is unacceptable that people of a particular community from other States come and buy land. Ajendra said, “Notably, Uttarakhand shares borders with two countries. Such demographic change is serious especially when it comes to national security”. Ajendra said that the Chief Minister should strengthen the land laws in the State to put a stop to such cases.

Cases of ‘Land Jihad’ in Uttarakhand

This is not the first time locals have raised their voice against ‘Land Jihad’ in the State. In September, residents of Khand-Kala raised their voice against an illegal mosque near Tehri Dam that had been standing there for over 20 years. After the uproar on social media, the illegal mosque was finally removed on 30^th September.