By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 4 Jun: Former Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Harish Rawat has demanded that the Haridwar land scam be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under judicial supervision. Rawat alleged that, behind the scam, there is an involvement of some “white-collar” individuals and asserted that this involvement must be exposed. He emphasised that a scam of this magnitude could not have been executed by just a handful of officials and hinted at possible political patronage or direct political involvement.
Rawat was addressing a press gathering at his Defence Colony residence here, today, where he hosted members of the media. During the informal interaction, Rawat also served pahadi cucumber brought from the Adi Kailash region and shared details of his recent pilgrimage to the revered site.
Terming the land scam in Haridwar as a grave issue, Rawat said it represented a serious case of corruption. He pointed out that similar scams are reportedly surfacing in various other parts of Uttarakhand as well, indicating a wider malaise. He insisted that the matter must be probed either under the supervision of a judge, or by a high-level Special Investigation Team (SIT), or by the CBI—but under court monitoring to ensure impartiality and transparency.
While the government has ordered a vigilance inquiry into the land scam and has also suspended 12 officers including the then DM, Haridwar, Karmendra Singh and another IAS Officer Varun Chaudhary, Rawat expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that only the officers are being held accountable so far. He claimed it is clear that this scam is not the handiwork of just one, two or three officers. There is certainly political shelter or direct involvement in this matter. He added that since the case became too large to suppress, action was taken against some officers but the role of white-collared individuals, is being deliberately ignored. He further stated that the revelation of the Haridwar land scam was not initiated by a prominent newspaper but was brought to light due to the commitment of several Ganga-loving journalists operating their own independent news portals. He lauded their courage and said that, if more people stood up against corruption, such widespread loot of public money could be curbed.
Rawat also criticised the state government’s handling of Panchayat elections, calling the non-conduct of polls a major administrative lapse. He insisted that responsibility must be fixed and those accountable should face action. In this context, he raised questions about Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh’s decision to return a Panchayati Raj-related file without granting approval. Rawat claimed that this reflects the government’s growing lack of accountability and that now the Governor has to point out these errors.
Reiterating his demands, Rawat maintained that the scale and brazenness of the Haridwar land scam could not be brushed under the carpet. He urged that strong legal steps be taken not only against officials but also those providing them political shelter, thus ensuring complete justice in the matter.
