Police arrest Balaji guards over disputed land issue

Property disputes in our country are a common feature. Land sharks are always scouting for easy prey. Presently, Bollywood legend Jeetendra, father of soap queen Ekta Kapoor, found himself involved in a bitter property dispute with M/s RNA builders. The disputed property is a 10 acre land in Hatkesh area of Mira Road (Thane). Balaji is said to have bought this to land to build a hi-tech studio. Things got ugly on Tuesday when police arrested Balaji guards who were manning the disputed area. This has upset Jeetendra who immediately rushed to assess the situation. TellyChakkar spoke to the actor straight after the incident. A fuming Jeetendra said, “This land belongs to us. We’d purchased this property from one Mr.S.Hazare. I’ve paid the stamp duty and completed all formalities. We have all the legal documents to prove it. There’s an issue between RNA builders and Hazare but that has got nothing to do with us. I’m stunned as to on what basis did police arrest our guards. This is blatant use of muscle power. I’m now heading to the police station now.” Adding further, he said, “RNA builders had twice appealed against us but on both occasions the courts ruled in our favour. Their claim that we were party to this plot was squashed first by a local court and then Bombay High court. If they were the rightful owners then why did courts rule in our favour? “ Anil Agarwal, chairman of RNA builders had reportedly stated that he bought this land from one Gopinath Bhoir in 1987 and this gentleman illegally sold it to Hazare, who now has sold it to Balaji. RNA has filed a case against these men. RNA senior manager (maintenance) Saket Jha said, “We came to know around 30 June that Hazare has illegally sold the land to Balaji Telefilms. Once we heard of this we immediately conveyed it to Jeetendra. So his claim that he wasn’t aware of RNA being the owners is baseless. We had filed a case in the Bombay High court stating that Balaji should now be considered a party to this case. The court has ruled in our favour and issued a stay order today. We’ll receive the registration copy for it in a few days “ Adding further, Jha said, “Balaji has hired goons and not security personnel. You don’t need around 50 men to guard an undeveloped property. The police too showed laxity in acting appropriately. We initiated a complaint today and the police finally arrested their goons. This is not any film where you can plant your board and claim possession.” Well, we don’t know who the owner of this land is but we surely haven’t heard the last word on this dispute.