Gurugram: Patwaris protest against corruption report

Following the leak of a confidential state government report alleging corruption among 370 patwaris, including 27 in Gurugram, patwaris (rural revenue officials) in the district staged a protest on Monday to oppose the allegations mentioned in the communique. The demonstration, organised by the Patwar and Kanoongo Association of Haryana, began at the Patwar office in Sector 15 and culminated at the mini secretariat in Sector 11. 

The association submitted a memorandum to the state revenue minister on Monday, via Gurugram’s deputy commissioner, demanding the report’s rejection. Satpal Yadav, district president of the association, criticised the report for violating principles of natural justice. “No departmental inquiry was conducted, nor were notices issued to the officials named as corrupt. The report has tarnished the entire department’s reputation and caused mental harassment to those implicated,” Yadav said. 

The association announced that Patwaris across the state would wear black armbands for three days to protest the report and press for its withdrawal. “We have submitted our memorandum and will continue to oppose this baseless report,” Yadav said, adding that they will intensify their protests if they receive an unsatisfactory response to their demands. 

According to the report, issued by the revenue department on January 14, 370 patwaris statewide, including 27 in Gurugram, were accused of engaging in corruption and malpractices. It also named 170 private individuals allegedly working as middlemen for the patwaris. Anurag Rastogi, additional chief secretary, revenue department, who sent the report to the deputy commissioners across Haryana on Thursday, asked them to take action and send the report to the government within 15 days. 

HT has seen a copy of the report, which mentioned the names of the patwaris accused of corruption along with details of how they extracted money from the public. However, the confidential report did not mention the source of these allegations. A senior government official confirmed receipt of the association’s memorandum and said, “The representation of the association will be shared with the government.”