Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, January 20
Former WWE wrestler The Great Khali has accused a tehsildar in Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh of forging land documents and stripping residents of their property, calling for a government investigation into the allegations.
Addressing a news conference in Shimla, Khali, whose real name is Dalip Singh Rana, said officials in the local revenue department were acting “above the Constitution” and depriving people of land through alleged manipulation of records.
He claimed that his father had purchased 16 bighas of land in Suratpur village in Paonta Sahib around 12 years ago and that the family holds valid ownership documents. However, Khali alleged that the tehsildar later declared the land to belong to another person, terming his family’s documents invalid.
Khali accused the tehsildar and the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of acting in collusion, alleging that similar actions had affected nearly 100 people in the area. He said many of the affected families had been living on the land for years and possessed legal documents, but were now being declared landless.
He further alleged that residents were being evicted by citing ex parte orders or by claiming that their land was located elsewhere, despite documentary proof of ownership.
Calling the allegations a serious matter, Khali said the tehsildar had amassed assets worth millions of rupees in a short period, which he said warranted a thorough probe.
The former wrestler said he had sought time to meet Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and demanded a fair and impartial investigation into the matter. The officials were not immediately available for comment. The story will be updated when their response is received.
