92-yr-old veteran of China, Pak wars now battles to reclaim his Jaisalmer land

A 92-year-old veteran fights to reclaim land sold under forged documents. He alleges fraud involving impersonation by a land mafia in Rajasthan.

A 92-year-old retired Army officer who fought in the 1962 India-China war and the 1965 and 1971 India-Pakistan wars is now fighting what his family calls the “fourth battle” of his life—this time to reclaim his own land, allegedly sold using forged documents and an impersonator.

Captain Chunni Lal (retd), a resident of Himachal Pradesh and a Pong Dam project oustee, has alleged that agricultural land allotted to him under the rehabilitation scheme in Jaisalmer’s Mohangarh area was fraudulently mortgaged and later sold for ₹25 lakh without his knowledge.

According to the complaint, members of a land mafia prepared forged documents and produced an impersonator to execute the sale deed.

Despite possessing the original allotment documents, Captain Lal (retd) and his family have spent weeks approaching police stations and government offices seeking justice.

Speaking to the media, the visibly emotional veteran said his family had surrendered fertile ancestral farmland in Himachal Pradesh for the Pong Dam project. In return, the government allotted agricultural land in Rajasthan under the Indira Gandhi Canal rehabilitation scheme.

Recalling the early years of rehabilitation, Captain Lal (retd) said the land was once covered with sand dunes and that his family transformed the barren desert into cultivable farmland through years of hard work.

His son, Multan Singh Thakur, alleged that the fraudulent sale deed was registered on June 16 and the mutation was carried out on June 22. After learning about the transaction, the family first approached Mohangarh police station but was redirected to PTM police station on jurisdictional grounds, and later to Kotwali police station as the registration had been executed there.

Thakur alleged that while his father is 92 years old, a 75-year-old man was allegedly produced before the sub-registrar by the accused, impersonating the Captain to execute the sale deed. When the family raised the issue with revenue officials, they were allegedly told that cancellation of the mutation could only be pursued through a court.

The repeated visits to government offices reportedly took a toll on the elderly veteran’s health. According to the family, the heart patient became exhausted during official procedures and even dozed off while giving his fingerprints.

Captain Chunni Lal (retd) said he had no knowledge of the alleged transaction. As soon as he was informed, he travelled from Himachal Pradesh to Mohangarh and approached the tehsil administration as well as the police, seeking justice.

He alleged that the incident was not an isolated case but part of an organised land fraud network operating in the region. According to him, outsiders—particularly Kangra-displaced allottees and ex-servicemen—are being deliberately targeted through forged documents and fraudulent land transactions.

Questioning the registration process, he said that if the authorities had properly verified the documents and the identity of the parties involved, the alleged fraudulent registration could never have taken place.

Lalaram Chaudhary, retired Sergeant and in-charge of the Soldiers’ Rest House in Jaisalmer, echoed these concerns. Chaudhary, who has been assisting the family, alleged that land brokers specifically target Kangra-displaced allottees and ex-servicemen because many of them live far away from the area and are unfamiliar with the local administrative system. Exploiting their absence, the brokers allegedly prepare forged documents, execute fraudulent land transactions and illegally grab their land.

“It is unfortunate that a soldier who fought in the 1962 and 1971 wars has spent days travelling in hired taxis, borrowing money, just to seek justice,” Chaudhary said, urging both the Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh governments to intervene.

After the family approached the Jaisalmer superintendent of police, an FIR was finally registered at Kotwali police station against the accused.

Confirming the development, additional superintendent of police Rewatdan said a case had been registered on the complaint of a retired army officer alleging that another person had impersonated him and fraudulently executed the land registration.

“An ex-army man came to us and informed us that his murba (land deed) had been fraudulently registered in another person’s name through impersonation. A case has been registered at Kotwali police station. After a thorough investigation, appropriate legal action will be taken,” Rewatdan said.