Days after CBI took over the probe into the alleged Rs 25,000 crore Roshni land scam in Jammu and Kashmir, a letter issued by the former J&K chief minister has surfaced.
In the letter, dated back to 2014, Mufti allegedly directed police officials not to provide police protection for the eviction of tribal population without an approval.
The then chief minister had also ordered officers that “tribal population should not be disrupted or dislocated” despite the fact that they had encroached upon public land.
“If in case it becomes absolutely necessary to dislocate any member or family of tribal population, then the same should be done in prior consultation with Tribal Affairs Department,” the letter added.
Roshni scam handed over to CBI
Last week, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the alleged scam in the Roshni land scheme that allegedly caused an estimated loss of Rs 25,000 crore to the state exchequer.
Earlier, the Anti Corruption Bureau, Jammu (Vigilance) was investigating the matter. It has filed a total of 17 FIRs in the case so far.
Under the Roshni scheme, encroached state lands were legalised by the previous Jammu and Kashmir administrations. The said scheme was expected to generate Rs 25,000 crore for the state government, however, huge chunks of lands were given to a particular community at discounted rates under the Act. Ankur Sharma who filed the plea in J&K HC has alleged that “90 per cent of beneficiaries under Roshni scheme in Jammu were Muslims”
The Jammu and Kashmir State Land (Vesting of Ownership to Occupants) Act, 2001 commonly known as ‘Roshni Act’ was passed by the then state government in 2001 and it came into effect from March 2002.
The revenue generated by the controversial scheme was supposed to be spent on commissioning hydroelectric power projects.
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