BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur booked in land scam

The Bureau booked both under different sections of the IPC and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act for alleged cheating, conspiracy, encroachment on government land and demolition of residential houses of education department for construction of cricket stadium.

“This is political vendetta to malign me and HPCA and tarnish my image. If Virbhadra Singh thinks that by registering two more FIRs, they (Congress) can win Lok Sabha elections, then he can go ahead with it. We will fight the case and vindicate our position,” Anurag Thakur told PTI, when asked about the FIRs filed against him.

“In the FIR in the land deal, Thakur and Arun Singh have been accused of “forging documents” in connivance with some revenue officials for purchasing the land of a Dalit, Premu (now deceased), “ADGP, Vigilance S. R. Mardi said.

“During inquiry by the vigilance bureau, some illegalities were detected in the purchase of the land, which could not be sold before 20 years and it was found that at the time of sale, the owner was in possession of land measuring 32 marlas (592 sq mts) for fourteen years and six months only.

“All this could not have happened without the complicity of revenue officers, who have also been booked,” SP, Vigilance at Dharamshala, Bimal Gupta said.

“The land was purchased by the two bothers even before completion of 15 years and Premu, who very well knew that his wife was also a share holder in the land, himself finalised the deal and also got the records forged,” Gupta added, PTI reported.

HPCA, which was registered as a society under the Himachal Coop Societies (Registration) Act and later turned into a company in 2012, is already facing an FIR relating to irregularities in construction of the international cricket stadium at Dharamshala.