Land encroachment issue that witnessed drama by Mauganj MLA reaches MP HC

Bhopal: The alleged encroachment issue on government land which witnessed drama by Mauganj BJP Pradeep Patel and forced the district administration to demolish the boundary wall, reached before Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Narendra Bahadur Singh, who has constructed a home on disputed land, filed a petition before the Madhya Pradesh High Court, alleging that MLA Pradeep Patel was pressuring the district administration to demolish his home along with others.

Singh told the Court that the plot in question is divided into two separate portions and both portions have separate ‘Khasara’ numbers.

On one portion (Khasra number 127) was allotted to a temple (Mahadevan temple), whereas another portion of land (Khasra number 128) was allocated for Dalit and minority families to build their homes.

Petitioner further claimed that the second portion of land (Khasra number 128) was allowed to over a dozen families belonging to Dalit and Muslim families a few years ago.

However, through his influence MLA is pressuring the district administration to declare all homes built on it illegal and demolish them on the pretext of encroachment, Singh said.

Hearing the matter, Chief Justice of MP HC Suresh Kumar Kait put a stay on demolition and sought a reply from respondents in the matter within two weeks.

"High Court has ordered for stay and has asked the district administration to submit their reply within two weeks," advocate Manoj Sharma, who represented the applicant in the court told IANS on Thursday.

Sharma also informed that the Principal Secretary of the Home Department, IG Rewa, District Collector and Mauganj SP, as well as MLA Pradeep Patel, have been made as respondent in the case.

On 19 November, police detained Pradeep Patel and several of his supporters after they reached the disputed land site to remove encroachment, resulting in communal tension and stone pelting that left at least five people injured.

BJP MLA was put on house arrest in a guest house, however, he defied the security and managed to reach the spot again on next morning. He was detained again and was put on house arrest around 30 km away from the spot.

However, MLA's resistance forced the district administration to demolish the boundary wall on disputed land three days later. The district administration has taken the land into its custody and has declared it a prohibited area.