War veteran's son records Satara official talking rudely instead of giving land

Chandrashekar Jangam

A month after war veteran Chandrashekar Jangam died fighting for the land promised to him 54 years ago, the authorities continue to treat his family with shocking insensitivity. The deceased soldier's son, Dhananjay, recorded a conversation with a Satara government official who, he claims, was rude and offered much less land that his father had paid for in 1968.

Dhananjay sent the audio clip to mid-day, in which Satara's Resident Deputy Collector (RDC) Sachin Baravkar is heard saying in Marathi, "There is no land in Satara; there is encroachment on most of the land. It is not our responsibility to show you land [that is available]."

On April 19, Dhananjay met Baravkar for 20 minutes, but only started recording the second half of the conversation, while the official was distracted with a phone call. Baravkar asked him about the original land papers, to which Dhananjay responded that they got papers through the Right To Information (RTI) Act. The RDC then said, "Don't tell me about RTI, I have a PhD in it."

Threats and taunts
The official then told Dhananjay, "Some officials sweet-talk, but do nothing. We have presented a proposal to you. Should we trouble you to get your respect?" Earlier, when the conversation was not being recorded, Baravkar also asked Dhananjay why he kept going to ministers and officials at Mantralaya. "He said, 'Do you find them sweet?' But this part of the conversation was not recorded," said Dhananjay. He added that Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil and officials from the revenue department at Mantralaya were helpful, and had directed him to the Satara Collector's Office.

The other side
Resident Deputy Collector Sachin Baravkar refuted the allegations and said, "We are here to help; we did not deal with him rudely. "The government is willing to give three gunta land, which is as per the provision for ex-servicemen. However, it is not possible to give land in Satara city. We have shown them alternate plots. He keeps asking for land in municipal corporation limits, where there are reservations, and it is not possible to allot a plot."

The case
Chandrashekar Jangam, 98, had served in the 1962 Indo-China war, as well as the 1965 Indo-Pak war. In 1968, as per the rules, he paid for 15.5-gunta land that the government was supposed to provide to him. However, the land was never allotted to him. After mid-day highlighted his plight, the authorities showed alternate plots to the family, but brought the size of the plot down to 7 gunta. After Chandrashekar died in March, the officials brought this further down to 3 gunta, and refused to allot land within Satara city limits.

Also Read: 98-Year-Old Army Veteran Dies Before Getting Land That He Battled For 54 Years

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates