SHAHKOT
The Shahkot police have nominated fifty-four people on charges of encroaching on new grain market land in Shahkot.
Investigating Officer Buta Ram said that the accused has been identified as Gurnam Singh, a resident ofKotli Gajran village, and twelve other residents of his village, thirteen belong to Kapurthala district, one resident is of Tarn Taran District, and others are of different villages of Shahkot.
The Punjab Government had acquired land in 2011 for a new grain market owned by 30 farmers.
Gurnam Singh and others had filed a civil writ petition against the government order in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which was dismissed, and they had filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court of India.The Supreme Court, in its order on July 31, 2024, dismissed the appeal and said the government has taken a conscious decision for the acquisition of land culminating in a declaration under section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act 1894.
Tejindar Kumar, Secretary, Market Committee, Shahkot, in an official communication to the police, had said the Shahkot market committee (MC)has obtained possession of land measuring 30 acres,4 Kanals, and 12 Marla situated in Kotli Gajran village for the construction of a new grain market on July 15.
He had said former landowners, in cooperation with the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, on July 20, forcibly ploughed the land acquired for the construction of a new grain market
IO said a case under sections 218 (resistance to the taking of property by the lawful authority of a publicservant), 221(obstructing a public servant in the discharge of public functions) 329 (criminal trespass), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy ) 324 326(€)( mischief by destroying or moving land mark fixed by public authority ),303(theft), 191(2) 191(3) (rioting being armed with deadly weapons ) on the BNS and sections 3,4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public property and Prive property Acts was registered against the accused and further investigations are on.