DOGRA HERALD BUREAU
jammu, Jan 15
Questioning the immunity granted to Mr Balwant Singh Mankotia, Ex MLA from criminal and corrupt deeds after his joining saffron bandwagon, JKNPP Youth leader Mr Raj Pratap Singh has sought a high level probe into the closure of criminal cases registered against the said ex-legislator. It is shocking to note that Mr Balwant Singh Mankotia who had been booked for 31 Offences in six different FIRs registered against him in Udhampur Police Station alone had been absolved of all his crimes with all criminal cases against him closed by the Udhampur Police.
Raj Pratap Singh said that not only were the criminal cases against Mankotia closed by the Udhampur Police at the behest of then political masters but nothing was brought to fore about the most heinous offences under which the said leader was undergoing trial in Jammu courts and whose cognisance had been taken by the High Court of J&K snd Ladakh as well. Similarly Mr Raj Pratap said that a letter of CBI was doing rounds on social media relating to an enquiry to probe the disproportionate assets of Mr Mankotia which too seemed to have been consigned to dustbin after his joining BJP.
Pointing towards the construction raised by Mr Mankotia in Green Zone Udhampur, Mr Raj Pratap said that the illegal act was the most glaring example of political corruption of the highest order besides being an act of abuse of power and authority. Mr Raj Pratap said that Mr Mankotia had purchased shops in Municipal Council Udhampur by changing his identity. The allotment order states that the shops are allotted to one “Balwant Singh s/o Mast Ram r/o Gandhi Nagar, Udhampur”. Why has the said MLA chosen to avoid ‘Mankotia’ from his name and where is Gandhi Nagar in Udhampur? questioned Raj. And if the allotment was obtained fairly why has he tried to mislead the public by concealing his actual identity and address.
A huge stretch of land measuring several canals were illegally usurped by the real brother of Mankotia and later regularized under the nasty Roshni Scheme. As per the High Court orders, it is Mr Mankotia who was to be made accountable for the irregular deal and his name was to be publicized in newspaper which was not done, asserted Raj. He said that neither any enquiry was held nor Mankotia’s name published in newspapers thereby making the most contemptuous mockery of the High Court orders.
Raj Pratap said that from where had Mankotia obtained 80gms Gold after his election as MLA, especially ehen he had no ostensible source of income as he was working in a small tailor’s shop before becoming a legislator. Mr Raj further said that Mr Mankotia had himself admitted in a interview about benami property held by him when he made a particular mention of a Flat owned by him Jointly with his partner.
He said that there was no mention of the said property of Mankotia in his IT returns or the property statements filed by him during all previous years.
Mr Raj Pratap said that all the above disclosures were only a tip of the ice berg with many more unfair, irregular, illegal and corrupt practices having been committed by the controversial Ex MLA who, as people believed, had joined BJP only to save himself from vigilante organisations and to get absolved of his shady deals. He said that several other immoral and irregular practices of Mr Mankotia would be brought to force in tbe next meeting as important documents relating to the same were being collected from various sources.
