By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 6 May: In a major security lapse that has raised serious concerns about the integrity of public records in Uttarakhand, unidentified miscreants broke into the record room of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation in the early hours of Sunday. The intruders, suspected to be four in number, entered the premises around 3:30 a.m. and meticulously searched through old property and land records before making their escape. Sources claim that there is a strong possibility of them having decamped with certain records or of tampering with the land records.
It may be recalled that Uttarakhand in general and Dehradun in particular have become a major hub of land frauds and land records manipulation. However, despite this, the government and the administration have taken no special measures for protection of the records.
This entire episode has been captured on CCTV cameras installed at a workshop adjacent to the Municipal Corporation office. As per the footage, the suspects arrived in a vehicle and scaled the compound wall, subsequently gaining entry through the roof of the record room. Before beginning their search, they reportedly cut off the electricity supply to disable internal surveillance equipment, relying on torches to examine the registers. The accused spent nearly 35 minutes inside the premises before fleeing through the same route.
The break-in is particularly alarming as the record room houses critical property and land-related documents dating back to 1937. These include original records that are not digitally available, thus making them highly valuable for anyone attempting fraudulent land claims. Not only this, a large majority of urban land records and their mutation in Dehradun is done only in the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (Doon Nagar Nigam) and not in the Tehsil which is the case in case of rural land deals.
It may also be pertinent to remind here that, nearly two years ago, it was revealed that a large number of property records had been manipulated and tampered with at the Sub Registrar’s Office but despite the investigation, no senior official from the Registrar’s Office faced any inquiry.
While in this case, too, the officials suspect the involvement of organised land mafia, who may be attempting to tamper with or eliminate key documents to facilitate encroachments or unauthorised transfers of high-value government lands, it can’t be denied that there is a strong possibility of involvement of some insiders who know where the land records are maintained. This suspicion gains weight in light of recent incidents of land record manipulation reported across Uttarakhand. It may also be recalled that, last month, an FIR was lodged regarding the falsification of land ownership documents in Raipur, Dehradun, while in March, several government officials in Haridwar were placed under investigation for allegedly aiding illegal mutations of government land.
This is not the first instance of such an incident. On 21 November 2022, six critical registers, documenting details of nearly two thousand properties, were reported stolen from the same record room. Despite assurances of digital backup and improved surveillance, the recurrence of such breaches underscores glaring lapses in physical document security.
The Dehradun Municipal Corporation oversees approximately 100 wards, many of which contain valuable land parcels. Recently, the administration undertook a large-scale anti-encroachment drive, removing illegal constructions from 35 prime locations. Additionally, land from 72 adjoining villages, brought under the corporation’s jurisdiction over past few years following a 2018 delimitation, is currently undergoing verification and incorporation into official records.
The officials claim that the police have launched a detailed investigation, working to identify the culprits using the CCTV footage from the workshop cameras. Senior officials have neither ruled out a larger conspiracy nor dismissed the possibility of internal collusion.
The incident has sparked widespread concern among residents and activists alike, who are now demanding enhanced protection of land records and stricter action against land-related corruption, which has seen a surge in Uttarakhand’s urban centres in recent years.
