ASSISTANCE BY SAMRAT HAS BACKFIRED COMPLETELY

ASSISTANCE BY SAMRAT HAS BACKFIRED COMPLETELY

29-OCT-ENG 4

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA-------------------------Following his swearing-in, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary launched a public-service initiative called the "Sahyog Portal," designed to resolve citizens' grievances within one month. In reality, however, public servants seem intent on undermining the very purpose of this portal. While the general public may or may not benefit from "Sahyog," the land mafia is certainly reaping its rewards. An application was filed on the portal seeking the removal of a *khatal* (a shed for cows and buffaloes) from a residential area; in this application, the petitioner claimed that a 3-*kattha* plot—part of a 1,024-acre tract acquired by the Bihar State Housing Board—was their own private property. The application was addressed to the SHO of the Rajiv Nagar police station (Patna). Since the land in question had been acquired by the Bihar State Housing Board, the SHO transferred the matter to the Board. A process was initiated to clear the *khatal* from the government land, and, intimidated by an official notice from the Executive Engineer (Division 3), the poor cattle owner voluntarily removed the structure. Subsequently, the land mafia stepped in, effectively having the cleared government land handed to them for seizure. Despite receiving reports and written complaints that the land mafia was encroaching upon Bihar State Housing Board property, the police and administration—upon hearing the name of a certain "Dada"—have not only failed to take action but are actively passing the buck to one another. The "Dada" in question is the same individual who was recently expelled by a ruling political party. Pandey Ji, the government-provided bodyguard of "Dada," is openly facilitating the illegal occupation of government land, aided by a few petty henchmen. The entire sequence of events can be observed in the CCTV footage from a restaurant near Road 18 (B) in Rajeev Nagar—though, given the fear that "Dada" inspires, who would dare to come forward?

Sir,

I would like to bring to your attention that certain anti-social elements have illegally occupied land—comprising Khata number 1771 and Plot numbers 2898 and 2899, covering an area of ​​3 kathas—and are currently operating a cattle shed (*khatal*) there. The electricity bill and municipal corporation receipts for this land are issued in the name of Dhruv Kumar (photocopies attached).

Therefore, I request that it be removed as soon as possible. I would be grateful for your assistance in this matter.

The application contains the applicant's name and mobile number, but lacks a signature.

The application was uploaded to the 'Sahyog' RTMS portal (Registration No: REF641641; Date: 24/07/2026; Time: 19:13:03). The complaint is categorized under 'Police' and 'Crime & Law and Order,' concerning the removal of an illegal cattle shed (khatal) operating on Road No. 18B, Rajiv Nagar. The action was processed by an 'L1' level officer, identified as the DSP (Headquarters).

The Station House Officer (SHO) of Rajiv Nagar forwarded the complaint regarding the illegal cattle shed to the Bihar State Housing Board, as the site was located on land acquired by the Board. The Executive Engineer (Division 3) issued a notice to the cattle owner and authorized an Assistant Engineer—assigned to roster duty—to oversee the removal. Upon receiving the official notice, the cattle owner removed the shed.

The removal of the illegal cattle shed, which had existed for years on Road No. 18B, brought relief to the local residents, who also became hopeful that the land—earmarked for a park—had finally been cleared. Just as the residents were planning to restore the area into a park through collective effort, land mafias intervened and began constructing a boundary wall to seize the site (which belongs to the Bihar State Housing Board). To prevent local residents from protesting, they deployed over two dozen miscreants to the site. With a powerful patron—a "Dada"—watching over them, what is there to fear? Local residents informed officials of the Bihar State Housing Board that land mafias were seizing the site previously occupied by an illegal cattle shed (*khatal*). Despite complaints escalated all the way to the Managing Director and the Chief Engineer, the SDO on duty—far from taking action—chose to wash his hands of the matter. After all, the "Dada’s" name was involved, and who wouldn't be afraid of him? The SDO made a token appearance once or twice, removing a few bricks as a mere formality, but no substantive legal action was taken. Local residents have submitted written complaints to the Managing Director, the Secretary, the Chief Engineer, the Executive Engineer, and the local Station House Officer (SHO).

The local residents did not remain silent out of fear; they actively sought to prevent the encroachment of government land by notifying the Bihar State Housing Board and the police administration. The ASP (Law and Order-2, Patna) directed the SHO of the Rajiv Nagar police station to halt the activity and keep the land under surveillance. Acting on the SHO’s instructions, a police motorcycle patrol team visited the site a few times, but construction work would resume the moment the police left.

In the Digha acquisition area—spanning 1,024 acres—several illegal cattle sheds continue to operate in Rajiv Nagar/Digha, despite a Patna High Court order prohibiting such facilities in residential areas. Residents are now turning to the courts and the 'Sahyog' (public grievance) portal to push for the removal of these illegal structures. While it is essential that these cattle sheds be removed, one must ask: is it appropriate to clear them only to hand the government land over to land mafias? A gang of land mafias is orchestrating a scheme: they aim to use official channels—involving the police, the administration, and the Bihar State Housing Board—to clear the illegal cattle sheds, only to then seize the government land for themselves. Extensive preparations are underway for this. Now it remains to be seen whether the officials of the Bihar State Housing Board will act in the interest of the Board or in the interest of the land mafia.