NIA registers charges against activist Parvez, ex-cop Negi in terror case
NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a charge sheet against Kashmir-based rights activist Khurram Parvez and its own decorated former officer, superintendent of police Arvind Digvijay Negi, in a probe related to funding and recruitment of overground workers (OGWs) LeT in Jammu & Kashmir.
Negi has been charged under the stringent Official Secrets Act (OSA), along with corruption and criminal conspiracy, for allegedly leaking secret documents to the terrorists and their supporters in exchange for money, apart from demanding payouts to influence the investigation, the agency said.
OSA is a British-era anti-espionage act which deals with spying and sharing of sensitive information. A person convicted under this law can get up to 14 years of imprisonment.
An officer from the Himachal Pradesh cadre, Negi spent 11 years in NIA after its inception in the wake of 26/11 Mumbai attacks, and probed major cases including J&K terror funding involving Hurriyat leaders, and alleged Hindutva terror. He was promoted to IPS in 2011, and received the President’s medal in 2017 for his exemplary probe in the J&K terror funding case. A charge sheet filed by him had brought out the role of Pakistan and its spy agency ISI’s in radicalising youth in the Valley for anti-India activities, including stone pelting and dharnas, for which funding was allegedly received by Hurriyat leaders. He was also part of probe team that carried out searches on the premises of Khurram Parvez in October 2020.
Vinod Rajput
GREATER NOIDA: The Greater Noida authority has identified 80 illegal housing projects, which are being built on private as well as government land acquired from farmers.
The authority started a survey to locate all illegal housing projects in the city on May 6. The survey will throw light on the total area grabbed by the land mafia, said officials. The survey was initiated after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed the authority to carry out demolition drives of illegal housing projects, identify the land mafia and take stern action against them. “Our first priority is to first demolish illegal structures on government land and free it. In the second phase, we will demolish illegal structures on private land grabbed by the mafia,” said Surendra Singh, chief executive officer (CEO), Greater Noida authority.
However, the authority is yet to determine how much acres of land is to be freed.
“Our survey is underway to pinpoint the areas grabbed by
THE AUTHORITY STARTED A SURVEY TO LOCATE ALL ILLEGAL HOUSING PROJECTS IN THE CITY ON MAY 6. THE SURVEY WILL THROW LIGHT ON THE TOTAL AREA GRABBED BY THE LAND MAFIA
the land mafia. We will complete the survey in the next three days. We will figure out the illegal housing projects on government land. There are 80 illegal housing projects, which have been already identified, but we feel the number may increase when the survey is completed,” said Deep Chand, additional chief executive officer, Greater Noida authority.
The authority on Friday freed 2,500 square metres (sqm) of land in Malakpur village. It demolished boundary walls and took possession of the land.
Since May 5, the Greater Noida authority has freed at least 50 acres of land from the land mafia. It has been alleged that the land mafia grabbed sizable private and government plots to carve out residential projects and sell the same to buyers in violation of rules.