New Delhi : Government in UP launches probe into dubious land tansactions entered into by BJP leaders and high-ranking officials for swindling from dalits their properties located close to Ram temple site in Ayodhya. Shortly after Supreme Court nod for Ram temple, BJP leaders, high govt officials and their relatives began amassing land in Barhatta Manch village located 5 km from the temple site.
Elected and civil officials behind questionable deals include Ayodhya MLA Ved Prakash Gupta, former BJP MLA from Gosaigath District Prathap Tiwari, ex-Chief Revenue Officer Purushothamdas Gupta, UP Cadre IAS officer Umadhar Divdedi, Aligad DIG Deepak Kumar, Ayodhya Mayor harish Kumar, former Ayuodhya Divisional Magistrate Aayush Chaudhary, RTI Commissioner Harshvardhan Shahi etc., according to reports in the Indian Express. As per Uttar Pradesh Revenue and , jamindari(feudalism) prevention act, farm lands belonging to Dalits cannot be purchased by non-Dalits until securing permission from the District Magistrate. Back in 1990, Mahashi Ramayan Vidhyapeet(MRVD) Trust was first to make illegal land buys in Barhatta Manch village.
In 1990 the Trust bought 15 acres of land in Barghatta Manch on a Dailit named Ronghoi. Later in 1996, the Trust got Ronghoi to ‘donate’ all of it to the Trust. Following Supreme Court verdict of 2020, the Trust sold these lands to various BJP leaders and government officials. Dalits who learnt of land worth crores changing hands, lodged complaint against the fraud, but failed to make headway.
