Srinagar: Taking cognizance of the alleged occupation of forest land by locals in village Kotli kalaban in Tehsil and District Rajouri, State Vigilance Organization (SVO) today booked officials of Revenue and forest department who had allegedly manipulated the official records.
According to the SVO, the FIR has been registered on the basis of the verification conducted by the State Vigilance Commission through Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rajouri and Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Rajouri into the allegations that forest land situated in village Kotli kalaban in Tehsil and District Rajouri had been unauthorizedly occupied by inhabitants of village and after cutting trees, the same has been brought under cultivation and the suspected Revenue Officials had attested the mutations under cabinet order LB/06 showing possession of the encroachers since 1957-58, though the land had been encroached recently.
During the course of verification, SVC had found that the illegal entries were made in the state land under the occupation of Forest Department falling under Khasra NO.364 which were subsequently expunged and record set right, but the illegal encroachers continued to be in occupation of the encroached land and the concerned officers/officials of Forest Department did nothing to evacuate the encroached land.
According to the SVO, the conspiracy was carried on further and out of the said Khasra No., the land measuring 25 Kanals 15 Marlas had been illegally mutated under LB-6 and S-432 vide mutation No.497 and 500 respectively in favour of Mohammed Bashir and others sons of Bassu by then concerned Patwari namely Maqsood-ul-Hassan and have conferred illegal ownership rights.
Another chunk of land measuring 20 kanals out of above Khasra number has also been illegally shown allotted in the revenue record in favour of one Mohammed Yaqoob son of Sher Oil without any allotment order by then Patwari Halqa Ghambir Mughlan namely Nisar Hussain.
SVO has added that the two mutations shown attested under LB-6 and S-432 conferring the ownership rights upon Mohammed Bashir and others in respect of forest land measuring 25 Kanals 15 Marlas and entry of allotment in respect of 20 kanals of forest land in favour of Mohammed Yaqoob have been made by the above named revenue officials and unidentified Naib-Tehsildar by abuse of their official position, with dishonest intention and in connivance with the concerned forest officers/officials, beneficiaries ad other manipulated the Revenue records in order to give wrongful gain to illegal beneficiaries and corresponding loss to the State exchequer.
As such, an FIR No.07/2017 of PIS VOJ was registered in Vigilance Organization, Jammu under section 5(1) (d) r/w 5(2) J&K P.C. Act Samvat 2006 and Sections 466, 167, 120-B RPC on the prima facie establishment of offences on the part of aforementioned accused public servants and others.
