The Nangal police have registered an FIR in connection with the disappearance of land records pertaining to 14 villages in the Nangal subdivision of Ropar district. The registration of the FIR has brought the long-pending issue of missing revenue documents under formal criminal investigation.The FIR was registered on a complaint by the district administration after discrepancies and missing records came to light. Police have booked unidentified persons under Sections 303(1), 305(e) and 324(3) of the BNS). An ASI has been entrusted with the investigation.DC Ropar Aditya Dachalwal confirmed that an FIR had been registered in connection with the missing land records of 14 villages in the Nangal area. He said the district administration would make every effort to identify those responsible for the disappearance of the records and ensure that the guilty were brought to book.The police action comes after The Tribune reported the disappearance of revenue records pertaining to the 14 villages and highlighted the possible implications for government land in the Nangal area. This is the second FIR registered in the case. An earlier FIR was registered a few years ago, but no action was taken.According to sources, important revenue records, including jamabandi and mutation registers dating back to the late 1980s, had gone missing. Jamabandi refers to the updating of records carried out by revenue officials every five years. Sources alleged that the records were taken away and that revenue documents pertaining to the villages were also found missing from the district headquarters.The missing records are significant as they contain details relating to ownership, possession and changes in land holdings. Their absence has made it difficult for revenue authorities to establish the history and status of certain parcels of land. The missing documents were also allegedly causing delays in the four-laning of the Kiratpur Sahib-Nangal national highway.The FIR also refers to discrepancies in old revenue records, including jamabandis, girdawaris and other revenue entries, and lists various land record details and khasra numbers for scrutiny.Sources said the disappearance of the records and the absence of original revenue documents allegedly facilitated encroachments on land belonging to Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) and Punjab Irrigation Department in the area, leading to thousands of litigations. They further claimed that some persons had taken advantage of the missing records and managed to get government properties registered in their names. Even the property of Punjab Tourism-run Kadamba Tourist Complex has been claimed by private individuals.Following intervention by district officials, revenue authorities have managed to locate the records of 10 of the 14 affected villages. However, records pertaining to four villages are still missing. The district administration has initiated the process of reconstructing the revenue records of these villages from whatever material is available with revenue authorities and other official records.The recovery and reconstruction exercise is expected to help the administration establish the original ownership and status of land parcels and verify claims relating to government properties.With the registration of the FIR, the police investigation will now focus on determining how the records went missing, who had access to them, and whether the disappearance was connected with subsequent changes or claims concerning land.