Farmers ‘take over’ Nirav Modi’s land

They say it is being done in protest for having sold it at a throw-away rate

Around 200 Ahmednagar farmers shouting slogans, “Kaali Aai Mukti Sangram,” gave a jolt to Nirav Modi, by taking possession of his land in Khandala village of this district.

Nirav is a businessman and founder of Nirav Modi global diamond jewellery house, established in 2010. He absconded in early 2018 when CBI started investigating a $2 billion fraud case involving him and Indian banks. Nirav has land in Karjat taluka, measuring 125 acres. With nobody tending to the land, the angered farmers shouting slogans on Saturday, took possession of it. It is alleged that the farmers have been given political patronage and with the help of certain local powerful politicians, they have managed to enter the enclosure and take over this land. The farmers announced that they will till this land with the help of tractors, which they will bring on Sunday. The farmers alleged that Nirav was given this land, at a

throw-away price and that is the reason for their anger and that they intend to get revenge by taking over this land. Women in large numbers too participated in this protest. This land is in the name of Firestone Stone, a power company. Once Nirav’s fraud was exposed recently, the investigating authorities sealed and took over many of his assets and properties in Mumbai and other parts of the country. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) at that time also sealed this land at Khandala. Even though the property was taken over by ED, the generation of power in this project has not been stopped.

The allegation against Nirav is that he had not acquired this land directly but through middlemen, who deprived the land-owning farmers of their rightful compensation. "The land was acquired from farmers at around Rs 15,000 per acre, whereas the government rate for land compensation in the area is around Rs 20 lakh per acre now," lawyer and activist Karbhari Gawli, who was part of the protest, told PTI over phone from Ahmednagar.

The District Collectorate and authorities have declared this take-over by farmers as ‘illegal.’