USA-NRI Scientist’s Wife victim of land fraud

Take a stand against unjust seizures of NRI land!

World-renowned USA-NRI scientist Prof. Dr. Bikram Singh Gill’s research in wheat genetics has fed billions of people worldwide, but his wife Gurinder Kaur is a victim of brazen land fraud by her former In-Laws in their native state of Punjab. In 1977, upon the death of her late husband Dr. Jasbir Singh Deol, Gurinder Kaur widowed at aged 24, returned to her parent’s home in Ludhiana, penniless and devoid of all material and marital possessions.

In 1979, Gurinder Kaur (alias Ravinder Kaur) and her mother-in-law Umrao Kaur, each inherited about 3 acres of agricultural land in the village Ghiniwala, dist. Ferozepur. In December 1979, Gurinder married Dr. Bikram Gill and resumed her married life in USA. Umrao Kaur never informed Gurinder Kaur about her land inheritance and expropriated all income herself to date.

In 2011, Gurinder Kaur learned about her land ownership and made enquiries to take possession of the land. The same year Umrao Kaur began the land grab but was overturned by the courts and a stay order was issued setting aside Umrao Kaur's claim over the land.

In November 2020, Umrao Kaur died. Her daughters Parveen Brar and Mehtab Kaur connived with former Congress MLA Parminder Singh Pinki and officials of the Revenue department of  Ferozepur and fraudulently terminated Gurinder Kaur’s ownership on the basis of a fabricated will of Umrao Kaur and got possession of the land. (on November 18, 2020, through mutation 266)

The fraudulent plan was carried further. On September 19, 2022, Parveen Kaur sold the land to Parminder Kaur Sangha and Devinder Kaur, who are close relatives of Parminder Singh Pinki. It was the influence of Mr. Pinki and the corrupt revenue practices, that the illegal sale deed was registered in the revenue courts despite the stay orders and on the basis of the forged documents of ownership.

The land was therefore snatched away from the rightful owner through a blatant land grab involving forged documents, corrupt revenue practices, ignoring 42-years of Revenue records of ownership in Gurinder Kaur’s name and despite the court's stay orders.

On 27th February 2023, a representation was made to Shree Kuldip Singh Dhaliwal, Minister of NRI Affairs, who instructed DC Ferozepore to stop this land grab. Dr. Gill, his brother and Gurinder Kaur visited DC, Ferozepur but to no avail.

This is part of an epidemic of illegal land seizures victimizing NRIs. 

Dr. Gill has been visiting India to deliver a keynote address on the 50th year anniversary celebration of ICRISAT, an international crop research center, in Hyderabad. During the last two weeks, he has visited various research institutions in Bangalore, Karnal and Mohali. Many scientists in India have trained in his laboratory in USA.

Dr. Gill and his wife say that dealing with the revenue dept and revenue courts during the last dozen years have been a traumatic experience. They are seeking justice to restore lawful ownership of land and punishment and prosecution for all those who were parties to this land grab.  

To contact Dr. Bikram Gill email bsgill2050@gmail.com

Attention: Kuldip Singh Dhaliwal, Minister NRI Affairs, Government of Punjab

Image credit: https://www.farmlandgrab.org/post/view/28476-world-bank-imf-guilty-of-promoting-land-grabs-increasing-inequality