Minister’s aide trying to usurp my land: NRI

Tuesday, 15/07/2014

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140715/punjab.htm#19

Chandigarh/Moga : Moga-based NRI Nirmal Singh Sidhu has been running from pillar to post to prevent being evicted from 14 acres of his land at Burj Hamira village in Nihalsinghwala by an Akali leader who is believed to be close to a powerful minister.

Having fought a legal battle to wrest control of his land for almost five years, Sidhu says he is disgusted with the system here.

"I fought a long legal battle to win possession of my land, after it was fraudulently sold twice. But now it seems that the opposite party has influenced the local police owing to his proximity to Agriculture Minister Tota Singh. Though the police have not evicted me from my land, they are advising me not to allow my tenant to cultivate the land," he said.

The minister denied the charge. "About three weeks ago, the panchayats of Chuhar Chak, Duneke, Malleana and a couple of other villages told me that having sold his property, NRI Nirmal Singh was trying to get back its possession by fraudulent means. “Nirmal sold the disputed property, on power of attorney, to his cousin Swaran Singh of Patto Hira Singh village. I asked the Deputy Commissioner to look into the matter. Since, Swaran Singh is in jail in a murder case, the civil authorities could not get to the root of the problem. I did not ask the police to intervene in the issue,” he said.

Sidhu purchased the land in 2003 and before he went to Canada in 2009, he prepared a power of attorney in the name of his relatives Swaran Singh and Balbir Singh. "In 2010, I got to know that Swaran Singh had forged another power of attorney and sold almost four acres to Mohinder Singh and his wife, residents of Lalton Kalan. I learnt that Swaran Singh had connived with local Akali leader Kuldip Singh to sell the land. I fought a long legal battle to get my land back," he said. In June this year, his tenant called him and told him that there was an attempt to grab his land.
                                                  
"I flew back to India. Since then, I have been making rounds of the police department, district administration offices and the NRI Affairs Department, but to little avail. The police tell me they apprehend violence in case I allow the tenant to cultivate the land and that it will impose Section 145 of the CrPC,” he said.

Gursharan Singh Sandhu, SSP, said: "The police cannot interfere in such disputes. Our duty is to maintain law and order and we have already taken precautionary measures for the purpose."

Tota Singh refutes allegation

Nirmal sold the disputed property to his cousin Swaran Singh of Patto Hira Singh village. I asked the DC to look into the matter. Since Swaran Singh is in jail in a murder case, the authorities could not get to the root of the problem. I did not ask the police to intervene in the matter —  Tota Singh, agriculture minister