Hisar: Police have arrested 76-year-old former sarpanch Shiv Lal in connection with a nearly four-decade-old land dispute involving alleged manipulation of revenue records and forged documents in the Barwala area. The case was registered in 2016.Shiv Lal, former sarpanch of the joint panchayat of Dhani Khan Bahadur, Dhani Garan and Dhani Mirdad, was produced before a court after his arrest and sent to judicial custody till Oct 8.SI Chandi Ram, the investigating officer, confirmed the arrest and said a cheating charge had also been added. The investigation is continuing.The case was registered on a complaint by Devi Dayal Singla, who alleged that the girdawari of around 28 acres recorded in the name of his father, Kulwant Rai, was changed in favour of the panchayat in 1985. He accused then sarpanch Shiv Lal and others of conspiring to prepare forged revenue records and take possession of the land.During the investigation, police found that the girdawari was changed on the basis of Roznamcha reports 49 and 50 of 1985-86, citing an alleged order of the AC-II Grade dated Oct 14, 1985, and a related resolution. However, the original resolution and alleged AC-II Grade order could not be traced, police said.Police had prepared a cancellation report after the FIR was registered in 2016. The probe was revived after a court ruled in favour of the complainant’s side in the land dispute on Jan 22, 2026. Further investigation was ordered on April 18.Police subsequently collected records from the revenue and panchayat departments. Some records are still awaited and further arrests cannot be ruled out, police said.
