Massive land compensation scam in Chhattisgarh, case against 10 accused

The Bharatmala highway development project has been hit by a major land compensation scam in Chhattisgarh. The state’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has filed a 7,500-page chargesheet against 10 individuals, alleging large-scale fraud in the distribution of compensation for land acquired for the project between 2020 and 2024.

According to investigators, the case exposes a well-organised conspiracy involving government officials, private individuals, and land brokers -- marking one of the most serious corruption scandals in recent years.

The chargesheet names public servants Gopal Ram Verma and Narendra Kumar Nayak; and private individuals Uma Tiwari, Kedar Tiwari, Harmeet Singh Khanuja, Vijay Kumar Jain, Khemraj Koshle, Punuram Deshlahre, Bhojram Sahu and Kundan Baghel,as accused.

The EOW has filed the chargesheet in the Special Court under the Prevention of Corruption Act in Raipur.

The scam took place during the land acquisition process for the highway project.

Compensation was supposed to be paid to genuine landowners at government-notified rates. However, officials and middlemen manipulated land records and artificially inflated land values.

In many cases, land was transferred into the names of proxy owners, friends, relatives or agents, just before acquisition. Fake valuation documents were created to justify abnormally high compensation amounts.

As a result, crores of rupees were released to these fraudulent beneficiaries, while genuine farmers were either underpaid or completely bypassed.

WHAT IS BHARATMALA SCAM

In simple terms, it is a large-scale compensation fraud. Government officials and private agents colluded to cheat the state by inflating land prices, forging documents and rerouting compensation to fake landowners.

They exploited the Bharatmala project, a development scheme meant to improve national infrastructure, to syphon off public money. This is not just financial fraud; it is an abuse of power, falsification of government records and a direct attack on the rights of farmers.

The involvement of senior officials raises questions about possible political protection or wider administrative complicity.

More arrests are expected as the investigation expands. Properties and assets linked to the accused are now under scrutiny.

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