IG Kolhapur to probe Wagholi land grab case

Alim Abu Aker Chagla had moved the High Court through his lawyer Anirban Tripathi,claiming that a builder had allegedly grabbed his seven-acre land and the police were ineffective in investigating the case. “Following the court’s ultimatum,additional DGP Satyapal Singh had filed an affidavit in the court on December 22,giving details of the cases of land grab that were disposed of in 2008. The court found the affidavit irrelevant and directed that Kolhapur IGP be appointed to investigate the case,” Chagla said.

On February 22,2007,a public notice in a local English newspaper sought objections to the sale of Chagla’s land in Wagholi by Lalwani and Lalwani Builders. “When I raised objections,the police took me to negotiate with the builders,where I was asked to hand over the land to them,” Chagla said. He had written to the then superintendent of police Vishwas Nangre-Patil and given his statement in March 2007.

“On April 13,2007,yet another notice was published in another national English daily,inviting objections for the sale of my land. I again submitted objections along with photographs of my sign board and fencing,but this was not accepted,” Chagla said.

On October 29,2007,Chagla received a call from his neighbour informing him that police had forcibly entered his premises and his property,he said.