An old tribal woman and her family members in Sambalpur city have levelled charges of fraudulent purchase of tribal land against Jharsuguda Congress MlA Naba Kishore Das and his wife.
Gangi Munda, along with her family members on Friday filed an FIR against the Jharsuguda MlA, his wife Minati Das, former tehsildar Gyanaranjan Bhanjadeo and others in this regard at the Dhanupalli police station in the city. Alleging that she and her family are being threatened, the woman has also submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through the district Collector seeking justice.
Reports said Gangi, who resides at Kurotula of the city, has family land in Unit-15, Ainthapalli under the Sambalpur Town police limits. During a mutation appeal, land mafia managed to obtain Patta for the land by declaring Chandu Munda, Maindi Munda and Gangi Munda dead and Gangi to be childless.
However, after adjudicating the mutation appeal case no. 6/2009, 11/2007, the then Additional Sub-Collector Ashok Purohit declared Gangi to be alive and ordered the Sadar Tehsildar to record the land in the names of Gargi’s family members and take action against the guilty.
But instead of executing the order, the then tehsildar Bhanjadeo and Sadar Revenue Inspector Jugal Kishore Mohanty showed Gangi to be dead and childless while submitting an inquiry report on an application seeking permission under the OlR Act.
Sources said one Mohammad Roshan Ali of Sunapalli had illegally sold the land to the Jharsuguda MlA and his wife Minati Das and their close supporters. Gangi was allegedly misbehaved with when she made an application before the tehsildar and revenue inspector praying for holding issuance of the Patta to Das. The land was sold off without Gangi’s knowledge. When Gangi asked for money from Roshan for having sold her land without her
knowledge, Roshan allegedly threatened her and her family members with dire consequences. A complaint has been registered with the police in this connection.
In his reaction to the charge against him, Naba Das has reportedly said that neither he nor his wife has purchased any land belonging to tribals. “We have not purchased any land from Gangi Munda,” he maintained.
“We have purchased land from Ashok Soni, who is from the general caste and have paid the consideration for the land in total. Before buying the land, I have seen the Encumbrance Certificate (EC) and the Patta of the land and only after that did I purchase the land,” said Das giving his clarification on the issue