Man held by collar, dragged out by cop at grievance redressal, detained for hrs

Agra: A 47-year-old man who had arrived to submit a complaint over alleged encroachment on his land during ‘Sampoorn Samadhan Diwas' (grievance redressal day) at Sadar tehsil in UP's Kasganj district, was allegedly held by his collar and dragged out of the premises by a police inspector. A purported video of the incident was widely circulated on social media on Sunday, triggering public outrage.The incident took place on Saturday afternoon when Santosh Gaur, 47, went to meet Aligarh division commissioner Sangeeta Singh to complain about illegal encroachment on his 2.5 bigha land, but as he approached her, an inspector-rank police officer allegedly dragged him out.Gaur also alleged that he was kept in preventive custody for almost four hours and released only after the commissioner left for Aligarh. Later in the evening, he was produced before the sub-divisional magistrate court under preventive action, where he secured bail and was then released.Kasganj SP, Ankita Sharma, said, "The complainant tried to disrupt the public hearing at the tehsil and breach peace and order. Local police took him into custody and initiated necessary legal proceedings."Gaur said he had been fighting a legal battle for the past three years to free his land, and had submitted several complaints through the inspector general of registration and stamps, the CM's portal and public hearings, but "false reports were filed each time". He alleged collusion of local officials and political representatives in the dispute.On Sunday, a team of revenue officials handed over control of the land to Gaur. "As soon as the matter came to my notice, a team of officials was sent to the spot and the issue was resolved," said DM Kasganj Pranay Singh. "Additional DM (finance and revenue) Digvijay Pratap Singh has been directed to look into the matter. The SP has also been asked to form a fact-finding team to examine the circumstances in which he was dragged out by the cop."Gaur, a plastic goods seller and father of three, said he plans to set up a gurukul-style school on the land. "I'll now start working to open a gurukul-type school there. Officials have also promised me to withdraw the action taken against me," he added.