Dehradun: In a significant development, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the illegal occupation of forest land in Veergirwali, Rajpur, has filed a chargesheet against former Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP) BS Sidhu and the then Additional Tehsildar in court.
The chargesheet not only includes land encroachment allegations but also invokes sections related to the misuse of official position. Earlier, chargesheets had already been filed against other accused in the case, while some individuals were excluded due to lack of evidence.
Case Origins: FIR Filed by DFO in 2022
The case traces back to October 2022, when then Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Mussoorie, Ashutosh Singh, lodged a complaint at Rajpur police station. The complaint alleged that certain officials fraudulently transferred forest land in Veergirwali, Rajpur, using forged documents and got the ownership recorded in revenue records under their names.
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Investigations revealed that in a related case filed in 2013, former DGP Virendra Singh Sidhu, along with Nathu Ram, Deepak Sharma, Subhash Sharma, Smita Dixit, Chaman Singh, and Prabhudayal, conspired to forge land documents and illegally register the land in Sidhu’s name.
SIT Chargesheet Filed in April 2024
In 2023, the SIT, led by IPS officer Sarvesh Panwar, took charge of the investigation. After a detailed probe, the SIT filed a chargesheet in April 2024 against former DGP BS Sidhu, Nathu Ram (resident of Rohta, Meerut), Deepak Sharma (Victoria Park, Meerut), Smita Dixit (RA Bazar, Meerut Cantt), and Subhash Sharma (Kinoni Rohta, Meerut).
Subsequently, in connection with the 2022 complaint by the DFO, the SIT has now filed an additional chargesheet against ex-DGP Sidhu and former Additional Tehsildar Shujauddin Siddiqui, charging them with misuse of official position.
Twist in the Tale: Complainant Turns Accused
A surprising twist in the case emerged when it was discovered that Nathu Ram, who had originally filed the 2013 case alleging land encroachment, was himself involved in the fraud. Before BS Sidhu illegally registered the land in his name, Nathu Ram had already sold the same land to another party.
With the original complainant exposed as an accused, no one remained to pursue the case. This prompted the DFO to lodge a fresh FIR in 2022, which eventually led to the SIT probe.
12 Years of Delayed Investigation & Influence
Being a high-profile case, the investigation dragged on for over a decade.
- 2013: FIR was registered, but no chargesheet was filed.
- 22 Investigators Changed: Due to the former DGP’s influence, investigators kept changing, and no one took decisive action.
- 2016: Even after Sidhu’s retirement, the case remained stagnant.
- 2022: Following the fresh FIR by the DFO, the police finally took action, forming an SIT and filing two chargesheets.
The case is now progressing in court, shedding light on a long-standing nexus of power and land fraud.