Gurgaon: Agricultural land usurped by 'baba', woman goes to Punjab and Haryana HC, gets police protection

GURGAON: The Punjab and Haryana high court has ordered police to provide security to a city resident who filed a petition alleging that a self-styled 'baba' had usurped her land and threatened her with dire consequences when she raised an objection.
Shalu Johar Sahni also alleged that she had moved court as she was unable to get any help from the police or the district administration despite repeated complaints against Taragiri Maharaj.
"My client did not get any help from the local authorities. She approached the high court to get protection for her and her family as Taragiri Maharaj threatened to kill them all. My client is unable to live peacefully or even go near the land she owns," Sidakmeet Sandhu, the woman's counsel, told the court.
On Wednesday, Justice NS Shekhawat ordered the city police to provide protection to Sahni and her family with "immediate effect". The case dates to 2005, when Sahni - a social worker in the city - bought 5.2 acres of agricultural land in Khetawas village and hired a caretaker to manage the farm produce.
For the next decade or so, there was nothing unusual. In September 2020, when Covid restrictions were eased somewhat, Sahni visited Khetawas. She alleged that Taragiri, who had built a temple on the adjacent plot, had extended its walls to her land as well.
Sahni alleged that the 'baba' threatened her when she raised an objection about the encroachment on her land and asked for a demarcation. On January 8, 2021, Taragiri and his followers allegedly barged into Sahni's land armed with swords, abducted the caretaker and assaulted him.
The woman filed a complaint at Farrukhnagar police station against Taragiri and his followers and a case for criminal intimidation and rioting was registered too. A few month later, police allegedly closed the case, saying they could not trace the 'baba'.
"Taragiri wields considerable influence, which is why no action was taken against him despite my complaints. I kept pursuing the case, but to no avail," Sahni alleged.
The petitioner told the court that her ordeal did not stop with the threats. In December last year, the 'baba' allegedly organised a panchayat and claimed that Sahni was objecting to the construction of the temple in the area because she was a Muslim.
"The police stood mute spectators when his followers raised derogatory slogans against my client. They reached out to her and even found that she was a Hindu herself," the woman's lawyer said. "My client is undergoing a harrowing time because Taragiri continues to issue her threats in some way or the other."
Gaurav Gurcharan Singh, the deputy advocate-general who represented the police and government authorities in the court, said appropriate directions had been issued to the SHO of Farrukhnagar police station to provide protection to Sahni and her family. She will also be provided security when she visits the land in Khetawas village, he added.
"In case the petitioner lodges any complaint regarding breach of peace, we will take appropriate action in keeping with the law," the government lawyer said.
Rajat Misra, counsel for Taragiri Maharaj, said his client had constructed a temple on a piece of land. “There was a land dispute and some confusion about the identity of the other land owner,” said Misra.