Hyderabad: War Veteran’s Daughter Fights Land Sharks

Hyderabad: The daughter of an Indian Army war veteran is being forced to get a court order against encroachers of her land, and the Narsingi police have remained silent spectators of the alleged contempt of court orders by unsocial elements even seven months after she lodged a complaint with them.

According to the complainant, Afia Rasheed Ali Khan, she was denied access to her property — nearly 17 acres of land at Manchirevula in part of Survey No. 386 and 387 — which was bought in 2004 under a partnership firm Green Acres Resorts that she formed with her family members.

“In December 2021, I, as managing partner, dissolved the partnership firm. As per a clause in the partnership agreement, upon dissolution of the firm, I became the absolute owner of the property, as funds invested in buying the land were provided by my father, the late Brigadier, General Dr Rasheed Ahmed Ghullam, a war veteran of the Indian Army,” she explained.

She continued: “Due to a dispute with my family members, who were also the partners of the firm, the issue went into arbitration in August 2024. Some unsocial elements, using my naive son, have erected boards claiming exclusive ownership of the land. I got an injunction against the other partners from interfering in my access to the property or creating third party rights and for removal of ownership boards erected by them.”

Deccan Chronicle is in possession of copies of her title deeds, showing her ownership of the land, the court injunction order and a police complaint.

In his injunction order, the special judge for trial and disposal of commercial disputes, Rangareddy, passed orders “directing the respondents (encroachers) to remove the illegal and unauthorised boards erected over the petition scheduled property.”

The court further granted interim injunction (stay) against the respondents from alienating or creating third party rights over the scheduled property or against interfering with the petitioner Afia Rasheed Ali Khan’s access to scheduled property till the completion of arbitral proceedings.”

However, the complainant averred, that a security guard and other well-known accomplices employed by her son Dr Abid Ali Khan were denying her access to her property.

Though she had lodged a complaint with the Narsingi police about the violation of court orders, the complainant said authorities had neither taken up an investigation into the complaint nor acted against the encroachers. The complaint was lodged on March 23 this year with the Narsingi police.

“After the death of my husband Dr Mazharuddin Ali Khan, land-grabbers got around to my son Dr Abid Ali Khan, and began using him as a pawn and misguiding him against his mother. My son is a fresh post-graduate with a meagre income, and not have the money, resources or means to grab land,” she said, adding that the Narsingi police were not helping her to get possession of her property as ordered by the court.

When Deccan Chronicle reached out to the Narsingi police, inspector Hari Krishna Reddy expressed his unhelpfulness stating that it was a civil dispute between a mother and a son. However, reliable sources disclosed that the Narsingi police and other officials had received calls from influential personalities to not take action.

“As a lone widow without any family or political support, I urge the Cyberabad police commissioner A.K. Mohanty to help me in this matter and provide the police help to take over my property. I also request him to provide me security as there is a threat to my life from anti-social elements,” she said.

Afia Rasheed Khan and her family own nine properties in Hyderabad, six are in her name and the rest are in the name of her mother, brother and sister.

The evidence shows that her father had gifted her some properties over a period of time after her marriage to Dr Mazharuddin Ali Khan in 1993. These properties were in prime locations and were bought between 1996 and 2004, using money that her father earned as a personal physician to the late Oman Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

Afia’s son Abid Ali Khan is married to Yasmin Owaisi Ali Khan and they have two children — a two-year-old daughter and an 11-month-old son.