UP: For 25 years, man fight against land grab by ex-MLA, vindicated

MUZAFFARNAGAR: Master Vijay Singh, 59 now, has spent the past 25 years protesting against the alleged grabbing of more than a thousand bighas of public land by a former MLA demanding its return. Some in Muzaffarnagar claim they've seen him sit outside the district magistrate (DM) office every single day during this time in his quest for justice. With patience and determination, he has sought to make an example of himself for many of his students, despite having lost his job as a teacher. An RTI reply has now proved that his cause was right all along.
Singh started his protest when Shamli was part of Muzaffarnagar district, which is why he protested in front of the district's collectorate. In 2011, Shamli became a separate district and Singh was asked to protest at different premises. He responded by resuming his sit-in right in the middle of Muzaffarnagar, at Shiv Chowk. "Shamli was a new zila, with new offices and officers I didn't know. I was unaware of the system and also felt that my life was in danger there back then, as I was up against powerful people who maintained a stronghold in that area," he said.
It was in April 2019 that Singh complained to the Shamli administration during chief minister Yogi Adityanath's rally in Kairana, after which an inquiry was set up. He says he was protesting at the rally site, where the DM of Shamli, who was also in attendance, came up to him and asked him to elaborate on the issue he was facing. Singh then handed over to him his complaint.
After submission, he says he ran from pillar to post, asking authorities about the result of the inquiry. "I filed a right to information (RTI) query in October 2019, asking for a report of the inquiry. I received a response to the RTI request only a few days ago," he said.
The reply, a copy of which has been exclusively accessed by TOI, and which included the report, proved that he was right all along.
The report, which was finalised in October 2019 itself, reveals that the former MLA along with several of his associates, had illegal possession of the government land in Chausana village. The 17-page report states that several government records belonging to these farming lands were forged. Sources say that the report was sent to Lucknow long back, but no action was taken by authorities.
When asked, the district magistrate of Shamli, Jasjeet Kaur, said, "It is an old matter and after it came to my notice, I instructed the sub-divisional magistrate of Oon to dig the details out. Action will be taken accordingly."
Incidentally, Singh has been a silent agitator, credited with the release of many such encroached-upon lands, ever since he was 24-years-old. His crusade against the land mafia has earned him a place in the Limca Book of Records for the longest protest against illegal possession of public land by private actors. In 2012, he walked 600 km to Lucknow over 19 days to meet former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav to create awareness about land encroachment. He has so far been able to secure the release of 300 bighas of land in different areas of Shamli.