With the Centre aiming to arm the farmers to save their land from forced acquisition in the form of the `land Acquisition Act’, another Central act `Right to Information (RTI) has come as a huge relief for a farmer in Amroha who was termed ‘dead’ on record, to deprive him of his property. 

Sadiq of Pashwari hamlet of Dhanaura tehsil (Amroha) filed an RTI with the local tehsil office seeking details of papers submitted by a land shark to grab his agriculture land - the sole means of his livelihood. He alleged that Imamudin had conspired by declaring him `dead’ on records and later submitted papers to get Sadiq’s land transferred to his name. 

Saddiq also submitted an application under the RTI Act seeking details about the `certificate’ in which he (Saddiq) was declared dead on September 25, 1995 even as he was alive. 

The Block Development officials at Dhanura, enquired and later informed him that no such `death certificate’ was issued from their office indicating that his opponent had forged the certificate for meeting his own ends. 

Subsequenly, Sadiq informed the tehsil office that the death certificate was fake. But The Tehsil officials refused to admit the facts and instead transferred his agriculture land. left with no option, a hapless Sadiq filed an appeal in the court of State Information Commissioner, Hafiz Usman requesting to intervene and redress his problem. 

The SIC has already ordered a probe into the matter by  Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM)-cum-thesildar of Dhanura, Azad Bhagat Singh and he has been asked to find whether the `death certificate’ is fake or not. Singh was directed to submit a report within a month so necessary action could be taken and ensure justice to the farmer. Earlier, the local authorities made probed and declared the death certificate as ‘totally fake’.

On Friday afternoon, the SIC said that after the SDM-cum-Tehsildar of Dhanaura submits his report, criminal proceedings can be initiated against the opposite party who forged documents to make a live farmer `dead’.