SP filled canal to make party office:Anger grows in Tikri near Khajuraho, locals say canal erased overnight, flags dominate disputed state headquarters site

Barely five kilometers from Khajuraho, a world-famous tourist hub, Samajwadi Party flags flutter over a massive boundary wall in Tikri village. This is the site of the party’s largest state headquarters in Madhya Pradesh, touted as a ‘dream project’ of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. But the ambitious plan has now run into controversy, sparking legal hurdles and public debate. Allegations suggest that of the 7.5 acres being developed, nearly 1.5 acres is government-owned land, where an irrigation canal was allegedly buried overnight. Despite the tehsildar court twice ordering a stay on the project, construction continues unchecked, with little heed to official directives. Villagers question the inaction of the administration and the silence of ruling party representatives, calling the situation puzzling. To investigate the issue, Dainik Bhaskar visited the site and interacted with villagers, government officials, and others closely linked to the dispute. Read the report Villagers say- They blocked our route
This construction work, which is adjacent to the airport boundary in Tikri village, is visible from afar. In revenue records, this land is registered in the name of ‘Samajwadi Party Political Party Office Lucknow Authorized Udayvir Singh’, who is considered very close to Akhilesh Yadav. As soon as Bhaskar’s team reached near the construction site, village people gathered. Anger and helplessness were clearly visible on their faces. Tikri village youth Chhote Lal Pal pointed to that place and said, ‘The canal used to flow from here. When the water stopped coming, we villagers made it into a pathway up to the main road. There’s an entire neighborhood living behind this land. They broke the canal with a JCB, filled it up and permanently blocked our path. When we protested, we were ignored.’ Encroachment happened in darkness of night: Villagers
Meanwhile, nearby resident Lachhi Rajak says, “This was not just a path, it was our facility. The government had installed street light poles on this path, which are still embedded inside that boundary. Another canal used to go from here to Pira Har, that too was erased and made into a boundary. Here the influential people have their way, who will listen to us poor people?” An elderly farmer Ramgopal Tiwari’s pain is even deeper. He said, ‘Everything happened stealthily. JCB and tractors would operate at night, not during the day, so that no one could see.’ How construction took place on government land
According to villagers and documents, the roots of this dispute are decades old. According to documents, in 1959 this 9 acre land was in the name of Ayodhya Prasad Shukla. After this, in 1978, under the ‘Rangwan By Canal Project’, the Irrigation Department acquired parts of this land with khasra numbers 996, 997, 973 (about one and a half acres) for the canal. After Ayodhya Prasad’s death, the land came to his heirs, who sold it to some other people in 2011. After this, in December 2023, after being sold through many hands, the land was finally purchased for the Samajwadi Party office. It is alleged that those who sold the land to SP also sold the acquired canal land of the irrigation department by falsely claiming it as private property. After purchasing the land, instead of getting it demarcated according to rules, the party directly performed groundbreaking in February-March 2024 and construction work began from January 2025, which was contracted to Prashant Yadav’s firm from Jhansi. Work didn’t stop even after two stays
As soon as the work of filling the canal began, villagers and irrigation department opened a front. The sequence of events that followed raises serious questions about the administration’s working style Administration’s Wavering Attitude and Allegations of Collusion
Lawyer Mukesh Mishra, who is pursuing this case on behalf of the villagers and is himself a resident of Tikri, directly accuses the administration of collusion. He said, “The stay is on the entire land, yet work continues. When I asked the Tehsildar about the FIR, he said, ‘Go to the police station, this is not my job.’ If we have to do everything ourselves, what are the officials for? The party is not appearing in court, attempts are being made to suppress the file.” Tehsildar says – Work is being done on private land
The response of Rajnagar Tehsildar Dhiraj Gautam on this matter is quite shocking. He said, “There is no canal at the site, it was a ‘dead canal’. People used it as a path. The stay is on the disputed portion and they are working on their purchased private land. We will conduct demarcation after Dussehra because sometimes the rover was not available, sometimes the patwari was busy.” When asked how it was determined without demarcation that construction was not happening on disputed land, he could not give a clear answer. He also denied information about the encroachment of the second L-shaped canal. SP’s legal defense and contractor’s argument
SP’s top leadership is silent on this dispute. On September 23, when Azamgarh MP Dharmendra Yadav came to Khajuraho, he said in response to media questions, “Whatever happens, we will handle it legally. Our lawyers will look into it. Media will not decide this.” Meanwhile, Prashant Yadav, who took the construction contract, called it BJP’s politics. He said, “We are not working near the disputed canal. We ourselves have applied to the Tehsildar for demarcation, but they are not doing it. Akhilesh bhaiya has ordered that no villager should be troubled, so we have left our land and made an optional path for them.” Why did SP leave Bhopal and make Khajuraho its center?
There is a major political strategy behind this entire controversy. This area of Bundelkhand is adjacent to Uttar Pradesh and has a large number of backward class voters including Yadav, Kurmi. SP wants to establish itself as the third largest party in Madhya Pradesh and by making Khajuraho its center, it is looking to strengthen its hold on nearby assembly and Lok Sabha seats.