PM Modi's schoolmate gets land back days after meeting him as firm tied to BJP MLA backs down

Asgarbhai Vohra, an 81-year-old man who recently met his “schoolmate” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has reportedly received a major relief in a land dispute in Maharashtra. A firm linked to BJP MLA Narendra Mehta surrendered its construction permission for the disputed plot, news agency PTI reported on Wednesday.

Vohra met PM Modi on September 8 and sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the dispute involving a 2,810-square-metre plot in Navghar, Bhayander East.

Vohra and the prime minister had studied at the BN School in Vadnagar, Gujarat.

What was the dispute?

Vohra had claimed that he purchased the plot in 1989 and that it was encroached upon by two firms, Swayam Builders and Seven Eleven Constructions, in 2011, both allegedly linked to Narendra Mehta, reported PTI.

“I bought the property around 37 years ago. But in 2011, it was grabbed by two builders, and I have been fighting this battle ever since. Now that I have met the prime minister, I hope to get justice,” Vohra earlier told HT.

Vohra maintained that though he had never sold or transferred the property to anyone, it was taken over in 2011, and subsequently divided into two parts - each controlled by the two firms allegedly owned by the BJP MLA.

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Firm backs down amid land dispute

Seven Eleven Construction Private Limited has surrendered its commencement certificate for the disputed plot and asked the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation to cancel its construction permission, PTI reported.

The company cited the ongoing ownership dispute and sought a refund of the project fees. Separately, a 2015 police complaint against Vohra and his associate Ajay Dhokha, alleging criminal trespass and intimidation, is being withdrawn.

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Letters confirming the withdrawal of the complaint and surrender of the construction permission were submitted to the concerned authorities ahead of the municipal hearing scheduled for September 16.

Inside meeting between schoolmates

As reported by HT, Vohra had studied at the same school in Vadnagar, Gujarat, as PM Modi and travelled from Gandhinagar to Mumbai on September 8 to meet him during the prime minister’s visit for the Global Fintech Fest.

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During the meeting, Vohra submitted a letter seeking a CBI inquiry into the alleged land grab. Before this, he had flagged the problem over a phone call with the prime minister and sought an appointment.