Lucknow, Nov 16: A senior IAS officer has sought security alleging that a senior Samajwadi Party leader and minister in the Uttar Pradesh government was harassing him and his family members, official sources said. Harish Chandra, Principal Secretary, home guards, has written a letter to the Chief Secretary Akhand Pratap Singh alleging that the projects minister Bhagwati Singh and his supporters may "eliminate" him or his family members.

The minister and the officer allegedly have a feud over allocation of land in a village in Bakshi Ka Talab area, around 20 km from the state capital, sources said.

Singh alleged that Chandra had grabbed the land of a Dalit, while the latter claims that he had inherited a portion of the said piece of land from his father. Singh, who is a member of the Vidhan Parishad, had raised the issue in May 2002 in the upper house. A parliamentary and goodwill committee, entrusted to probe the issue, in its 350 page report had indicted the officer and demanded a CBI probe into the matter.

Singh said Chandra had misused his power to grab over 200 acres of land belonging to Dalit and claimed that the official had built a farmhouse by producing forged documents.

Chandra alleged that he was being victimised as he was a Dalit and the minister was trying to malign his family's name by levelling false allegations.

The official reportedly met the Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and had apprised him of the whole situation, the sources added. Bureau Report