MAPUSA: It’s been over a year since the land grabbing cases rocked the State, but the government is yet to deliver justice to the victims of fraudulent deals by handing over the rightful ownership of their ancestral land grabbed by the accused forging documents.
Unfortunately, even after a year, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the Commission of Inquiry have failed to prove the legitimacy of documents used in fraudulently grabbing the land.
Neither the SIT nor the concerned departments have come on record on verification of the forged and fraudulent documents. Questions have been raised in several quarters whether the authorities concerned have initiated inquiry or not and if yes, then what was the outcome? The forged documents are the prime evidence in the entire land grab scam which will make the cases crystal clear.
On the other hand, the victims, mostly senior citizens, are helpless and clueless. The decision of the government to form a Special Investigating Team came as a massive relief to the victims as they reposed their faith in the team as they believed that the SIT would thoroughly probe the cases and provide them with justice by proving that the documents were forged. Unfortunately, they complain that the constant transfer of officials has hampered and delayed the investigation. The new officer is forced to study and investigate the cases afresh and whatever investigation that is conducted by the officer transferred has gone down the drain. The victims feel that having a Special Investigation Team is merely eyewash to drag the matter.
They have raised several questions: To what extent is the Commission or person of authority empowered with and which departments are instructed to obey orders of the Commission bench or person in authority that has been appointed? Is the commission authorised to pass a judgment to revert the properties to its original owners? Will the victims have to file a civil suit?
With investigations currently underway, the landed properties, which are fraudulently grabbed, are encroached. It is shocking to note that the constructions are currently being carried out in some of these properties. According to sources, these grabbed properties have been blocked for any kind of transactions or use, but this has remained only on paper, as the encroachers have been given a “free hand” in these construction activities. One such example is the property measuring a massive 18,000 sq mts owned by Vincent D’Souza and family.
“The District Collector’s office should take cognisance of the construction going on in the affected properties that have been frozen for all transactions as per Memorandum DYC/RB/MUT/SIT-INQUIRY/2022/7827 dated 07/07/2022”, the complainant said.
“It’s frustrating when we hear that an officer from SIT investigating the land grabbing case is transferred. The frequent changes within the SIT that has been investigating the massive land grab across Goa, is concerning. The appointment of the SIT the government should have kept in mind stability throughout the investigation period. There were only a few investigating officers and senior officers in the team who were meticulous on their approach and took the effort in understanding the complexity due to Portuguese-era documentation and laws specific to Goa. The transfers of officials have left the investigations back to square one. Only the criminal aspect of the investigation is evident due to the number of arrests made till date. However there is no transparency and updates on the other aspects of the investigation, primarily the forged documents used to initiate this criminal offence,” said Ashley Monteiro, who holds the power attorney of Anacleto Vincent Monteiro.
Some complainants pointed out that the SIT is yet to register FIRs on their complaints, which were filed a year ago.
“There are several complaints made before the various police stations which have been handed over to the SIT. However, it’s been months since the complaints were filed, but no FIR has been registered. The victims do not even have a proper stand before the Commission of Inquiry as FIRs were not registered in time. The delay in registering these FIRs just seems administrative and delayed for a purpose. Even the government-led Commission of Inquiry is not able to exercise its powers to assure the people that their properties will be reverted to the names of the original owners. In my case, an FIR is not yet registered”, complained another victim.
