The Mainpuri district administration in Uttar Pradesh has ordered a probe after a differently-abled resident, Subhash Singh, and his wife claimed to have filed over 1,000 land grab complaints to district officials and “higher authorities” in Lucknow over the past 10 years.
Fed up with their suffering, the couple decided to go on a ‘hunger strike’ on Tuesday.
“Our 4-bigha farm land was grabbed by some influential people. We filed over 1,000 complaints with the district magistrate, ADM and SDM, but no action was taken. We have no other option but to sit on a hunger strike until we get our land back,” said Singh.
Singh, a resident of Mainpuri’s Bichhiya village, said, “Once the land was taken away, I was left with no other source of income. What should I do? If nothing happens, I may take some extreme steps. There is no point in living like this.”
Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Abhishek Kumar, said, “I had a brief conversation with Subhash Singh and ordered a probe. I am expecting a report soon. All documents will be examined within a week.”
Meanwhile, Singh, who lives with his wife and two children, claimed the four bighas were allotted to him in 2013.
“I used to sell milk earlier. Then, I met with an accident and could not use my hand. A steel rod had to be placed inside. I have proper documents of the plot. Local authorities had freed the land twice from their possession in the past. However, they took it back again,” Singh said.
(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)
