J&K anti-graft body books Hurriyat leader, six others for ‘encroaching’ on evacuee land

The FIR was filed after the ACB conducted a preliminary enquiry into the allegations that a woman was conferred undue benefit by the custodian department illegally allotting evacuee land without obtaining government sanctions and without having an open auction.

Srinagar: The anti-graft body of Jammu and Kashmir Police has filed an FIR against chairman of Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, his brother-in-law, Majid Drabu, who is also a senior bureaucrat and five others for allegedly encroaching Custodian land in convenience with revenue officials in Srinagar.

The FIR was filed after Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted a preliminary enquiry into allegations that a woman was conferred undue benefit by the Custodian department illegally allotting evacuee land without obtaining government sanction and without having open auction in violation to the standing provisions etc.

“The inquiry uncovered that land belonging to Imam-u-Din, located at Saderbal, Hazratbal, Srinagar under survey number 640, was allocated to several individuals, including Dil Rafiqa, in gross violation of rules,” reads the FIR.

“The illegal allotment involved 07 Kanal 19 Marlas 97 sqft of land (appox one acre), encroached upon individuals including a lady (name withheld) w/o Dr. Ab. Majeed R/o Hazratbal, Majid Khalil Ahmad Drabu S/o Saif-Ud-Din Ahmad Drabu R/o Qammerwari, Srinagar, Mohd. Amin Khan S/o Gh. Nabi Khan R/o Saderbal, Srinagar, Ab. Majeed Bhat S/o Mohd Abdullah Bhat R/o Saderbal, Srinagar, Qazi Bilal Ahmad S/o Qazi Noor Din R/o Nageen, Srinagar and Umer Faroog S/o Lt. Mohammad Farooq R/o Nageen, Srinagar,” the ACB investigation reveals.

The ACB enquiry has revealed that the officers/officials of Custodian department in league with the officials of Revenue department and beneficiary allottees "dishonestly and fraudulently by resorting to corrupt practices, in furtherance of a conspiracy by abuse of their official positions, made allotments of evacuee land in violation to the prevailing rules and norms and also for their ulterior motives, maintained criminal silence by not taking action against the encroachers well in time thereby bestowing undue benefit upon themselves and the beneficiary allottees/encroachers with corresponding wrongful loss to the state exchequer."

Majid Drabu (IAS) is a senior bureaucrat currently serving as Control Legal Metrology, J&K while Mirwaiz is the chairman of Hurriyat Conference, besides being the head priest of Kashmir.

Officials said if the charges are proven against the accused, the land and house in which Mirwaiz is living in posh Nageen area of Srinagar can be confiscated. 'Evacuee' or custodian lands belong to those who migrated to Pakistan after Partition, and they remain in the control of the government.

However, Mirwaiz termed filing of an 'instant' FIR against him and his kin an attempt to malign his image.

In a statement a spokesperson of the Mirwaiz said the attempt to malign and harass the Hurriyat chairman is clear from this threat in media when he received no intimation or notice of this matter.

“It is part of the same media propaganda carried out against the Mirwaiz in 2018 when multiple properties, including the properties of Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid, Anjuman Nusratul Islam, Darul ul Khair Mirwaiz Manzil were all attributed to him and later all proved to be false and baseless. These things will not cow Mirwaiz down,” it reads.

He said the fact of the matter is that no property at present – house or land belongs to Mirwaiz in Nigeen. “The residential land and house in which he lives in Nigeen was purchased and built upon by his father (late) Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Farooq in 1973, the same year that Mirwaiz Umar was born. Its boundary walls are the same since that year,” it added.

The statement added that Mirwaiz and his kin, who is also being implicated, “is a well respected civil servant known for his integrity, neither of who have, nor will do anything that is immoral and illegal.”

Earlier this year, the Custodian General J&K said action will be taken against those who have illegally occupied such custodian properties, which include punishment with imprisonment which may extend to three years in terms of Section 18 of J&K Evacuees (Administration of Property) Act, 2006.