Mandi/ Shimla, March 10,
In a plea for justice, 61-year-old Ruma Devi from Sangnehar village, Tehsil Joginder Nagar, District Mandi, has reached out to the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and the media, highlighting a year-long struggle against alleged land forgery and administrative apathy. Despite repeated attempts to resolve her land dispute, including 12 reminders and official complaints, no concrete action has been taken so far, claimed the senior citizen.
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Ruma Devi and her 70-year-old husband have been battling a serious case of fraudulent land partition involving forged signatures and manipulated records. The dispute, first reported on February 24, 2024, remains unresolved, leaving the elderly couple in a state of distress. Devi claims that her signature was forged on official land documents related to cases filed in 2016 at the Tehsil Office, Joginder Nagar. The disputed documents, dated January 19 and January 27, 2019, contain signatures that she asserts are not hers and were used to alter official land records without her consent.
The couple’s efforts to register their complaint through the Himachal Pradesh Police’s online FIR portal have also been met with technical failures. According to Devi, the portal malfunctioned at the final submission stage, preventing her from filing a complaint. She has attached video evidence of the issue. Attempts to reach police technical support through the designated helpline number (0177-2628216) were also unsuccessful, as calls either went unanswered or were disconnected.
Devi alleges that the fraudulent execution of the documents was carried out with the intent to deprive her of her lawful property rights, suspecting a criminal conspiracy involving certain co-owners and government officials. She has raised concerns about the role of revenue officers, including the Patwari and Kanungo, accusing them of negligence and possible complicity in the forgery.
The prolonged inaction has taken a severe toll on the elderly’s physical and mental well-being. Devi, a diabetic patient, described the stress and anxiety caused by the lack of resolution and the repeated bureaucratic hurdles they have faced.
In the appeal, Devi has called for an urgent police investigation under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those related to cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. She has requested the immediate rectification of land records and disciplinary action against the officials involved. Emphasizing the need for a time-bound resolution, she urged the administration to act swiftly in accordance with the Himachal Pradesh Public Services Guarantee Act, 2011.
The case has now drawn the attention of media and civil society as the case highlights the challenges faced by ordinary citizens, especially senior citizens, in navigating a system plagued by technical failures, bureaucratic delays, and apathy.
Now will Ruma Devi and her husband finally get justice, or will they continue to struggle in their twilight years? Only time—and the government’s response—will tell.
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