In Madhya Pradesh, statement of farmer recorded 9 years after his death

BHOPAL: A DSP with Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta’s special police establishment who was investigating a land scam not only ‘recorded’ the statement of a farmer nine years after his death, but also submitted it before a special court in Bhopal — along with the death certificate that exposed the error.

The counsel for the accused promptly picked on the dead-man-talking blunder to cast doubts on the entire investigation when it pointed this out to the court on January 12.

The case revolves around 800 acre agricultural land, owned by 141farmers, which was allegedly auctioned without their consent after they defaulted in repaying loans from the Zilla Shahkari Krishi Aur Grameen Vikas Bank, Bhopal, and Bhoomi Vikas Bank, Huzoor. It is alleged that the farmland — worth Rs 1,600 crore according to the collector’s guidelines — was auctioned for a mere Rs 1.5 crore.


On receiving a complaint, the Lokayukta police registered an FIR on July 4, 2013, against several officials and people who purchased the land. The back-from-the-dead statement was among the evidence attached with the FIR and produced in court along with the chargesheet. So was the death certificate.

According to Lokayukta, the statement of ‘Radheylal, son of Shriram, resident of Sagoni Kalan village under Huzur tehsil of Bhopal’ was recorded on April 20, 2013, and produced in court. Radheylal said that he had taken a loan of Rs 8,000 from the bank but couldn’t repay it. “Later, my 7.10-acre land was sold by officials without even informing me,” says the statement.