A resident from Malshej near Kalyan, who claimed to be a descendant of the Satavahana dynasty, allegedly forged documents to wrongly claim a one-hectare plot of the historic Durgadi Fort site by cheating the Revenue Department.
The Mahatma Phule Police Station at Kalyan in the Thane district has initiated an investigation in the case on Thursday (2nd November). Historians and scholars were shocked with the audacity of the act. Suyash Shirke, the accused in this case, is currently evading authorities.
As per authorities, Suyash Shirke, the chairman of the Malshej Nane Ghat Forest Area and Tourism Development Committee, has been identified as the prime suspect in the case. The alarming episode came to light when Preeti Ghude, the divisional officer of the Kalyan revenue department, discovered the incident.
Following the directives of Tehsildar Jairaj Deshmukh, Preeti Ghude has filed a formal complaint at the Mahatma Phule police station, accusing Suyash Shirke of fabricating documents, deceiving the government, and wrongfully acquiring the land of Durgadi Fort under the auspices of his organisation. The police have registered a case of forging documents, cheating and misleading the Maharashtra government under sections 420, 465, 466, 468, 471, and 773 of the IPC and have launched an investigation.
According to police sources, Suyash Shirke had filed fake documents with the revenue department to get the Durgadi fort land in the name of his organisation. In this case, the accused Shirke had filed documents with false signatures and forged stamps of revenue officials without document registration at the Kalyan tehsildar’s office.
Suyash Shirke had applied for a no-objection certificate on 12th September 2022, to transfer the fort in his name. In this application, Shirke described himself as a descendant and successor of the Satavahana king.
The senior officers in the local police station wrote to the district collector’s office seeking permission to repair the fort and sought detailed information about the land records. It was at this point that the whole fraud was exposed. The district revenue office mentioned in their reply that this fort belongs to the Shirkes who are the descendants and successors of the Satavahana king, and that they only will give permission for repairs.
The Kalyan revenue department then sent the documents to the collector’s office for authenticity as they were related to the Durgadi fort. The matter was investigated on the orders of the district collector. During the investigation, it was determined that the Durgadi Fort site held historical significance.
As the revenue department conducted its investigation, the police dispatched a letter to the district collector inquiring about the ownership and port rights of Durgadi Fort, specifically questioning whether they belonged to the descendants of the Satavahana Kings.
The documentation comprised falsified records associated with Durgadi Fort and the Malshej Nane Ghat Forest Area and Tourism Development Committee, featuring tampered stamps and forged signatures purportedly attributed to the tehsildar. These stunning revelations were made during the investigations done by the divisional revenue office of Kalyan on 24 February 2023.
Upon scrutinising the documents, the revenue department determined that all the provided paperwork was deceptive and questionable. Divisional officer Preeti Ghude filed a complaint at the Mahatma Phule police station, accusing Suyash Shirke of attempting to unlawfully acquire the land of the Durgadi Fort through falsified records. A case has been registered, and authorities are actively searching for the accused.
The Durgadi fort was built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1666 on the ruins of an ancient fortress of Satvahanas. It was in this fort that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj envisioned the navy of the Hindu Swarajya. While reinforcing the northern Konkan coastline with this fort, the Hindu king received support from the Agri, Koli, Bhoi, and Bhandari communities living in this area.
While building this fort, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj found a great hidden treasure worth crores at this site. He saw this as a blessing of Goddess Durga for the Swarajya and consecrated a temple of Goddess Durga on this fort. He also named the fort after the Hindu deity.
