Chandigarh, September 7
While the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, is busy wooing NRIs to invest in the state, some of his partymen are helping land grabbers.

Dr Virinder Kumar Bhardwaj, a nephorologist (kidney specialist) based in Mihigan, USA, his mother Ram Murti, and his brother-in-law(sister’s husband) Sushil Kumar, purchased 21 acres in Ismailpur village under the Sadhaura subtehsil in Yamunanagar in 1991. The Bhardwajs belong to Banur in Patiala district, but they wanted to have a safe place in Haryana because terrorism those days was at its peak in Punjab.

Dr Bhardwaj, a US citizen, arranged immigration of his mother and Sushil Kumar in 1996. The land, which is now worth over Rs 70 lakh, remained in the name of the purchasers. The girdawari shows that the owners are in possession of the land and they themselves cultivate it.

However, to look after the land in their absence from the country, they gave their power of attorney to their relatives, Mr Naresh Kumar and Mr Netra Prakash Bhagat. Sometime back, they learnt that a brother of Dr Bhardwaj, who has a long-standing association with some of the prominent doctors of the region, had encroached upon the land.

A complaint was lodged with the police. A compromise was reached in the office of the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Yamunanagar. Both parties agreed in the presence of the police that in the absence of the owners no cultivation would take place on the land. Only the owners or the holders of the power of attorney would be entitled to visit the land.

Mr Sushil Kumar, who is now a US citizen, came to India on August 9. He, along with his two relatives, Naresh and Bhagat, visited the land as per the terms of the written compromise on August 25. Sushil alleges that the moment they reached the land, they were attacked by several persons with lathis. Naresh and Bhagat saved their lives by running back to the village. But Sushil Kumar, who does not keep good health, was made captive by the alleged attackers.

Naresh and Bhagat, with the help of villagers, reached the Sadhaura police station and reported the matter. Sushil was released by the police. However, on reaching the police station, the officers refused to acknowledge the compromise reached in the presence of the DSP. A criminal case was registered not against the encroachers, but against the victims, who had to obtain bail from court.

Naresh and Bhagat allege that a senior functionary of the ruling INLD had been repeatedly telling them on the phone to sell the land. They say even the police say that “uppar se pressure hai”.

Sushil has booked his return flight to the USA on September 12. But he is in a quandary whether the court would permit him to return to his family.