Avinash Azad
The Jammu district administration has suspended two revenue officials, who are accused of tampering with land records to facilitate large-scale land grabbing—allegedly under the patronage of a former Member of Legislative Council (MLC), Mohd Hussain.
The suspended officials—Abhay Manhas, NSQ (Girdawar) posted at DC Office Jammu, and Patwari Fateh Ali of Patwar Halqa Bain Bajalta—were found guilty of unauthorized manipulation of official acquittance rolls to illegally convert state land into private property. Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Sachin Kumar Vaishya, issued the suspension order on May 28, 2025, citing “gross manipulation” and an “unprofessional and callous attitude” that is “unbecoming of a government employee.”
Sources say this case is just the tip of the iceberg. A senior revenue official, speaking on condition of anonymity, alleged that Patwari Fateh Ali has long functioned as a key fixer for Ex-MLC Mohd Hussain, orchestrating land conversions at will to benefit the politician’s family.
Evidence points to blatant misuse of power in multiple cases:
In Khasra Number 526 of Bain Bajalta, which comprises only state land, Fateh Ali fraudulently reported plots measuring 6 Kanal 13 Marlas (on 13/02/2025) and 4 Kanal 7 Marlas (on 15/05/2025) as private property. These plots are reportedly under the possession of Mohd Gulzar, son of Ex-MLC Mohd Hussain—a glaring instance of converting state land to private use.
Shockingly, in 2008, revenue officials issued a ‘Fard’ of 11 Kanal of state land in the same Khasra in favour of the MLC’s family, raising serious questions about a long-running nexus of corruption.
In another manipulation, a land transaction originally involving Ratan Lal Mansa Ram who further Zaffar Din, concerning Khasra Number 289 in Bain Bajalta, was suspiciously linked to Khasra Number 526, where Fateh Ali allegedly “airlifted” the plot—i.e., shifted its location on record—by 500 meters to show state land as private, despite the fact that Zaffer Din has sold this plot to Madhu Jain, Manik Jain and Narinder Kumar in on 11/03/2008 at cost Rs 12.70. This plot had been under the possession of Manzoor Hussain for years, yet was falsely shown in revenue reports as belonging to Zaffar Din, as part of land situated in Khasra number 289 sold in 2008.
These manipulations were not isolated acts but reportedly part of a broader land-grabbing operation spearheaded by the Ex-MLC’s family, facilitated by compromised revenue officials who allegedly received hefty bribes in return for falsified documents.
The Deputy Commissioner’s order stated that the remarks inserted into the acquittance roll completely altered its legal essence without proper authority or procedural diligence. “No directions were issued by this office for such modifications,” the order clarified.
Pending a thorough investigation, both officials have been attached to the office of the Additional District Development Commissioner, Jammu. Rakesh Kumar, Additional District Magistrate Jammu, has been appointed as the Inquiry Officer and tasked with submitting a report within seven days, including recommendations for further action.
The case has drawn public attention and demands are mounting for a deeper probe. Observers believe a full-scale commission of inquiry is needed to unravel the network of corruption centered around the Ex-MLC’s family. Political voices have echoed this concern, with MLA Jammu East, Yudhvir Sethi, having already exposed the alleged land mafia on the floor of the J&K Assembly.
The brazen misuse of land records and public property—facilitated by officials who were meant to safeguard the state’s assets—has triggered widespread outrage. As more facts emerge, a groundswell of voices from civil society, political circles, and legal experts is demanding that the Jammu & Kashmir Government constitute a high-level commission to investigate the scam in its entirety. The suspension of Patwari Fateh Ali and Girdawar Abhay Manhas may be the first domino to fall, but the bigger question remains: Will the system have the will to dismantle the deep-rooted network of land mafias and political patronage that enabled this corruption for years?.
