10 booked for illegally surveying disputed Ambarnath plot
Builder and nine others booked for attacking a farmer over a disputed plot in Ambarnath. Police intervened; case registered. Plot linked to BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad.
THANE: The police on Monday booked a builder and nine other people for attacking a local farmer while surveying a disputed plot of land in Ambarnath without authorisation. The 187,000 sq ft plot, worth around ₹25 crore, is the same one over which Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ganpat Gaikwad had shot Shiv Sena’s Kalyan unit chief Mahesh Gaikwad at the Hill Line police station in Ulhasnagar seven months ago.
According to villagers, the builder and armed goons attempted to seize the disputed plot, resulting in altercations with local farmers. After one of the farmers was assaulted, the Hill Line police arrived at the scene and managed to control the situation. The police have initiated the process to register a case against the builder and others involved in the assault and unauthorised land survey.
According to the revenue department, the plot, owned by a man called Eknath Jadhav, was transferred to Pramod Gumanchand Ranka of Fairdeal Developers in December 2023. Jadhav’s family claims that the land, which was held under the Mahar Watan (Protected Land) Rules, was leased to Ranka in 1996 for a nominal amount. Such transfers typically require the district collector’s approval, a detail the Jadhav family disputes. Ganpat Gaikwad was allegedly pressuring the family to vacate the land, after which they sought help from Mahesh Gaikwad.
In February, Ganpat Gaikwad allegedly fired at Mahesh Gaikwad and another Shiv Sena worker inside a police station. The Hill Line police booked six people for the crime, including Ganpat Gaikwad, Harshal Kene and Sandeep Saravankar. Vaibhav Gaikwad, Ganpat Gaikwad’s son, is absconding.
After the dispute over the plot of land flared up again on Monday, Mahesh Gaikwad intervened with his supporters, detaining the goons and preventing further violence. Chainu Jadhav, a villager from Dwarli, said, “The farmer is poor and is fighting for his land in court. Suddenly, a new individual arrived with goons and began surveying the land without any prior notice. When the Jadhav family tried to stop them, the goons assaulted them.”
A police officer from the Hill Line police station said, “We are investigating the matter. Both parties are at the police station, and necessary action will be taken against those responsible.”
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