Haryana Vigilance Bureau DSP Rakesh Malik said the bureau began to probe the matter in 2018 after receiving the information from sources.A Fatehabad court Friday sent former sub divisional magistrate (SDM) Satbir Singh Jangu on police remand for allegedly allotting surplus land to ineligible people in Bhundra village of the district in 2018.
Jangu, a retired state civil services officer, was arrested Thursday. Haryana Vigilance Bureau DSP Rakesh Malik said the bureau began to probe the matter in 2018 after receiving the information from sources.
“As per the Haryana Utilization Surplus and other Areas Scheme, 1976, the government can acquire surplus agricultural land of any individual if he or she owns more the prescribed land holding. As many as 28 acres of land of a family in Bhundra village was declared surplus. The land was to be distributed among those who are residents of the village before 1991. The beneficiaries should not have five acres or more than five acres of land,” Malik said.
The 28 acres surplus land was distributed among nine people. It is alleged that Jangu, who was at that time the SDM (surplus) in Fatehabad gave land to ineligible people, including three of those who were not even the residents of Bhundra village. Jagdish Chander, a patwari, has also been arrested and is on police remand. According to sources, the vigilance will during the remand period try to find out if any transactions took place between the accused and the beneficiaries.
As per a complaint made to the vigilance, the 28 acres land was given to the beneficiaries for less than Rs 20,000 while its actual cost is Rs 11 crore. After an inquiry, the vigilance bureau registered an FIR against 11 people, including the former SDM and the patwari for cheating and other provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1998.