Tribal land grab charge against Odisha MLA Naba Das, wife

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Sambalpur, Mar 14:

An old tribal woman and her family members in Odisha’s Sambalpur city Friday leveled  serious charges of fraudulent purchase of tribal land against Congress MLA from Jharsuguda Naba Das and his wife.

naba das

Gangi Munda, an old tribal woman, along with her family members, Friday registered 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 Sambalpur city. Alleging that she and her family members were being threatened, the woman has also submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through the district collector seeking justice.

Gangi Munda, who resides in Kurotula locality of Sambalpur city has family property (land) in Unit No.15, Ainthapalli under Sambalpur Town police limits. During mutation appeal, land mafia managed to obtain patta (title) for the piece of land  by declaring Chandu Munda, Maindi Munda and Gangi Munda dead and Gangi to be childless.

However, after adjudicating over the mutation appeal case no. 6/2009, 11/2007, the then additional sub-collector Ashok Purohit declared Gangi Munda to be alive and ordered tehsildar, sadar to record the piece of land in the names of the family members of Gangi Munda  and take action against the guilty.

But instead of executing the order passed by the additional sub-collector, the then tehsildar Gyanaranjan Bhanjadeo and revenue inspector (Sadar) Jugal Kishore Mohanty showed Gangi Munda to be dead and childless while submitting the 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 Munda 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 Munda’s knowledge. When Gangi Munda 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 said that neither he nor his wife has purchased any land belonging to tribals. “We have not purchased any land from Gangi Munda,” he said.

“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 oly after that did I purchase the land,” said Das giving his clarification on the issue

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