Odisha Vigilance questions Gajbhiye on shady land deals

Odisha Sun Ttimes Bureau
Cuttack, Aug 17:

Trouble mounted for beleaguered Odisha IPS officer Satish Gajbhiye, already suspended for presiding over police excesses during the anti-Sarathi Baba demonstration in Kendrapara on August 7, on  Monday with vigilance sleuths questioning him on his questionable land deals in Gop  area of Puri district.

Gajbhiye reached the Vigilance headquarters here with a stack of papers shortly after 5 pm and was closeted with sleuths of the agency till about 7 pm before sneaking out surreptitiously.

He was questioned by an IG level officer of the agency about the land he has acquired in Badakiapal mouza in Gop block, the source of his the money for the purchase and whether necessary formalities had been complied with while buying the land,  at least some of which is said to belong to scheduled caste people, vigilance sources said.

Gajbhiye’s wife Ranjana, in whose name the land had been purchased, could also be summoned for questioning soon, the sources added.

Gajbhiye, it may be noted, had purchased 7.60 acres of land in the name of his wife, but has allegedly encroached on nearly 70 acres of adjacent government land and is doing fisheries on the entire stretch of land after digging ponds. Local farmers have alleged that he has even blocked the flow of a river to facilitate his fish farm.

A joint team of the state vigilance and revenue officials had recently visited Gop for an on-the-spot inquiry after allegations about Gajbhiye’s illegal acquisition of land surfaced in the wake of the allegations of police excesses in Kendrapara under his charge as SP.

Notably, Gajbhiye was also questioned by the CBI in connection with the chit fund scam a few months ago.