75 overseas Punjabis from four Majha districts raise complaints before state officials in Amritsar
Property disputes, alleged land encroachments, document irregularities and matrimonial matters emerged as the main concerns raised by overseas Punjabis at an NRI Milni held in Amritsar, with 75 complainants from four districts seeking government intervention.
Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Dr Ravjot Singh attended the meeting, organised for NRIs from Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Pathankot and Gurdaspur. Officials from the civil administration, police and NRI Affairs Department were also present to hear the complaints and issue directions on cases requiring action.
Several complainants alleged problems involving agricultural and ancestral property. A 75-year-old NRI who moved to the UK decades ago alleged that the girdawari, or land cultivation record, relating to 25 acres he purchased in Gurdaspur in 2010 had been altered. He also alleged that relatives had taken possession of ancestral property in Jalandhar.
Another NRI alleged that after the death of the person from whom he bought 25 acres in Gurdaspur in 2021, others began cultivating the land and allegedly used forged documents. He said he had complained against nine people, but police registered a case against only one.
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Matrimonial grievances were also brought before officials
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One complainant alleged that his sister was being harassed over dowry by her husband
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Both had subsequently become Australian citizens after moving to Australia following their marriage in India
Another woman alleged that she had been denied a share in ancestral agricultural and residential property following her husband’s death.
Dr Ravjot Singh said most NRI complaints received by the state concern property disputes, illegal occupation, documentary discrepancies and matrimonial matters. He said the government was coordinating with relevant departments and that he was personally monitoring long-pending cases.
The latest Amritsar meeting follows earlier NRI Milnis in Punjab. Between January 2022 and May 2026, the NRI Affairs Department received 26,828 complaints and reported resolving 25,870 of them. During the period, 1,187 FIRs were registered and 1,451 accused arrested, according to the minister.
