Jammu and Kashmir’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has filed an FIR against Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and a bureaucrat and five others in connection with allegations of encroaching evacuee land in connivance with revenue officials in Srinagar.

Officials said the ACB filed the FIR under section 5(1) (d) read with section 5(2) of Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Corruption Act, 2006, and section 120 RPC on May 10 and handed over the investigation to a DSP-rank officer.

The FIR was filed after ACB conducted a preliminary enquiry into allegations that a woman was conferred undue benefit by the custodian department illegally allotting evacuee land without obtaining government sanction and without having open auction in violation to the standing provisions etc.

“During the course of preliminary enquiry, it was found that evacuee’s land belonging to Imam-u-din located at Saderbal Hazratbal falling under survey number 640 has been allotted in favour of some individuals including Dil Rafiqa W/o Dr. Ab. Majeed R/o Hazaratbal, Srinagar in gross violation to rules and regulations governing the subject,” the FIR said.

It stated that land measuring seven kanal 19 marla 97 sq ft was found encroached upon by six persons including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

The accused include Dil Rafiqa, bureaucrat Majid Khalil Ahmad Drabu, Mohd. Arnin Khan, Ab. Majeed Bhat and Qazi Bilal Ahmad.

“The enquiry conducted has revealed that the officers/officials of custodian department in league with the officials of revenue department and beneficiary allottees dishonestly and fraudulently by resorting to corrupt practices, in furtherance of a conspiracy by abuse of their official positions, made allotments of evacuee land in violation to the prevailing rules and norms and also for their ulterior motives, maintained criminal silence by not taking action against the encroachers well in time thereby bestowing undue benefit upon themselves and the beneficiary allottees/encroachers with corresponding wrongful loss to the state exchequer,” it said.

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