Jagan demands CBI probe into Joji Nagar demolition

Former Chief Minister and YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday demanded a CBI inquiry into the role of people in high places in the demolition of houses of Joji Nagar and assured them of legal help.

After a visit to Jojinagar, he expressed solidarity with the victims. He alleged that their houses were demolished despite a court order giving them relief up to December 31. He said that all those involved in the demolition would be brought to book.

Naming Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, IT Minister Nara Lokesh, local MP and Jana Sena corporator behind the demolition, he said 42 families residing in the colony spread over 2.17 acres land worth Rs 150 crore had all the permissions and were paying EMIs on loans taken but the greed of higher ups sided with private players.

The demolition was executed with heavy police presence though the case was pending with the Supreme Court the residents had relief up to December 31. Fake documents were created during Chandrababu’s previous tenure and a bogus society was registered with a back date in 2016 and the litigation was created only to hand over the prime land to private players, he said.

Only a CBI inquiry would bring out the facts and the behind-the-scenes operations, he said and extended all help to the locals, who were residing there for the past 25 years, legally and said that once YSRCP comes to power issues will be sorted out and all those responsible for the demolition will be brought to book.

Questioning how permissions were given if they did not own the land, he said the gross misuse of power is going on across the State. TDP leaders and cadre are always looking for disputed land to encroach and are turning to litigations. Encroaching land through litigation has become a pattern and TDP leaders and cadres are encroaching the land. This has become a pattern in the entire state and at many places TDP cadre is creating litigation to grab the land, he pointed out.