By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 30 Jan: The simmering internal tensions within the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttarakhand once again came to the fore today when BJP MLA from Gadarpur, Arvind Pandey reached Dehradun and met Director General of Police (DGP) Deepam Seth, seeking narco, polygraph and handwriting tests in connection with a land grab case in which members of his family have been named. The development has added a fresh political dimension to an issue that has already kept the Kumaon Terai politically charged for weeks now. Arvind Pandey has been repeatedly targeting the administration and indirectly attacking his own party’s government over allegations of illegal mining, illegal construction and also over the Sukhwant suicide case, in which certain senior police officers are alleged to be involved.
Pandey’s visit to the Police Headquarters follows the registration of an FIR at Bajpur police station on 20 January, 2026, against his relatives Jai Prakash Tiwari, Devanand Pandey, Kishan Pandey and Mohan Pandey under Sections 318(4) and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The case, registered as FIR number 18/2026, relates to allegations of fraudulent land encroachment. In a letter submitted to the DGP, Pandey has described the FIR as baseless, politically motivated and founded on false facts. He has demanded that the complainant as well as the accused be subjected to polygraph, narco analysis and handwriting tests so that the truth of the matter could be conclusively established.
Speaking to media persons after the meeting with DGP, Pandey said he had not approached the police leadership to seek withdrawal of the case, but to ensure a fair, transparent and impartial investigation. He insisted that both sides involved in the dispute should undergo scientific tests to rule out any scope for manipulation or political conspiracy. He further stated that, if the complaint is found to be false, legal action should be initiated against the complainant for filing a false case, adding that justice should not only be done but also be seen to be done. At the same time, Pandey maintained that if the allegations against him or any of his family members were proved, he would quit politics altogether.
It may be recalled that the land dispute stems from a complaint lodged by Sanjay Bansal, a resident of Bahadurganj village, who has alleged that he owns land in Mundiya Pistore village and had entrusted its maintenance to a person from Majra Baksh with mutual consent. According to the complaint, forged documents, including a fabricated rent agreement, were prepared to illegally grab the land and that threats were issued when objections were raised by him. Bansal has further alleged that on 21 August, 2025, he was called to the site by the authority concerned and served with a show-cause notice for new construction on the land, which was declared illegal and ordered to be demolished. He claimed that in reality, at the site, Pandey’s brother and associates intimidated him, warned him not to return and threw away photocopies of his documents while asserting ownership over the land.
The case has been registered against Devanand Pandey, Jai Prakash Tiwari, Mohan Pandey and Kishan Pandey, residents of the Majra Baksh area and the investigation has been entrusted to Sub-Inspector Kailash Chandra Nagarkoti. Pandey, however, has consistently termed the entire episode a well-planned conspiracy aimed at maligning his image and branding him as a land mafia. He said that until the investigation reaches its conclusion, the tag continues to haunt him in public perception, despite the absence of any proven wrongdoing.
The controversy surrounding Pandey has however not remained limited to the land dispute. Pandey has also been vocal on the Sukhwant suicide case, reiterating his demand for a CBI probe. In this case, it may be recalled that in a video that had gone viral before Sukhwant committed suicide, Sukhwant had levelled serious allegations against certain police officers and with the exception of transfer of a police officer, no other action has been taken in the suicide case. Pandey has been demanding CBI inquiry into the case. Adding to his troubles, the district administration recently issued a notice to Pandey over an alleged illegal construction following court directions, further escalating the political heat around him.
Within the BJP, the issue has revived murmurs of factionalism and internal discontent. Pandey has claimed support from several party legislators and there were indications that senior leaders, including former chief minister, MP Trivendra Singh Rawat, MP Anil Baluni and MLA Madan Kaushik, were planning to visit Gadarpur in connection with the issue, though the programme was later postponed on the last day.
During the recent visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Uttarakhand, support for Pandey by some senior leaders was seen as a signal that the matter had reached the party’s central leadership.
It may be recalled that a former education and sports minister, Pandey is seen to have been politically marginalised during the second term of the Dhami government and his sustained attacks on the administration over illegal mining, land fraud and the suicide case have placed him in open confrontation with his own government. By formally demanding narco and polygraph tests before the police leadership in Dehradun, Pandey has now thrown a fresh challenge before the state police, while simultaneously rekindling the debate over factionalism within the ruling party. Political observers believe that the coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether the issue remains a legal battle or further deepens the fault lines within the BJP in Uttarakhand.
