Dist admn retreats from possessing land after sensing trouble

The Kurukshetra district administration retreated from Karah village near Pehowa town after sensing violence from the families of the former occupants of the land, mostly belonging to a minority community.

The district administration had made elaborate arrangements for the transfer of the land to the bidders and had a contingent of over a thousand policemen equipped with all sort of measures to check any eventuality, sources said.

However, villagers in large number protested and pleaded before the Additional Deputy Commissioner Sumedha Kataria, who was given the charge of the Karah operation not to transfer the land.

"The district administration had to postpone the action due to apprehension of massive violence on the part of the protesters who could have taken hazardous steps like self immolation as they carried containers of kerosene and petrol besides weapons, lathis, bricks to target the police force. It could have been disastrous, had there been violence from either side, hence the administration postponed the action," Kataria told PTI.

A section of people had been cultivating the panchayati land for over decade, and when the new bidders of gram panchayat approached the court which ordered the old cultivators to vacate the land on one hand and ordered the administration to reap the wheat crops and keep the proceeds in its custody.

The new bidders further approached the court which ordered the administration to get the plaintiffs possession of the land for which the district administration made an attempt today.

The next date of hearing in the High Court is already fixed for July 16, 2012.