Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, February 24 Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve on Tuesday demanded an investigation into a 23-acre plot of land in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, which he claimed had been "gifted" by its owner to Shiv Sena MP Sandipan Bhumre's driver much before the latter was even born.
He questioned how a "hibanama" (gift deed) could have been made in the name of the Hindu owner of the land, Javed Shaikh, the driver of MP Sandipan Bhumre, 14 years before he was born.
Paithan MLA Vilas Bhumre, son of MP Sandipan Bhumre, denied Danve's allegations and said they would file a defamation case against him.
A hibanama is a written document or gift deed in Muslim law that records the voluntary transfer of property from a donor to a recipient without any exchange of money or consideration.
Addressing a press conference, Danve said, "There is land in the Jatwada area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar that has been acquired (for the Samruddhi Expressway). An application for compensation for this land has now come to the administration. This 23 acres of land is worth nearly Rs 1,150 crore."
"Javed Rasool Shaikh, the driver of Bhumre, was born in 1985, and the hibanama in his name was made in 1971. The original owner of this land has given this land to Bhumre's driver Javed Rasool Shaikh. I have Javed's Aadhar card showing his birth year," the Sena (UBT) leader claimed.
"I have a few questions: how can a hibanama be made in 1971 when the recipient was born in 1985? The original owner of the land is a Hindu, and that person has made a hibanama for a Muslim person, which is not possible," he said.
He stated that the matter needs to be investigated.
"This matter should be investigated by the Crime Investigation Department (CID), and I have written letters to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Revenue Minister Chandrashekar Bawankule seeking an investigation into this case," he said.
MLA Bhumre retorted to Danve, saying, "They have lost the civic and Zilla Parishad elections. So, he is making such allegations to show that his party is doing something now. My driver has denied all these allegations, and we are going to file a defamation suit against Danve. We are also going to ask the CM to investigate this case and also take action against Danve."
In June last year, the police had questioned Bhumre's driver Shaikh over his claim that a descendant of Hyderabad's Salar Jung family had gifted him a three-acre plot of land located on Jalna Road in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, worth over Rs 150 crore.
Sandipan Bhumre represents the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) Lok Sabha seat.