PATNA, May 23 -- The Bihar revenue and land reforms department on Friday referred a high-profile case of alleged irregularities in land mutation to higher authorities, just a day after the deployment of a dedicated Economic Offences Unit (EOU) team within the department. The case involves Sandeep Kumar, who was then in-charge of Sonbarsa circle office in Sitamarhi district. He now serves as revenue officer (RO) in Supaul. The Sitamarhi district administration had recommended framing charges against him as far back as 2023 for what officials describe as gross irregularities in mutation proceedings. Revenue and land reforms minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal described the action as part of the department's "zero tolerance policy" towards corruption in land-related matters. "The matter has been sent to the departmental secretary for further action," Jaiswal told HT. He emphasised that the government is committed to delivering transparent, accountable, and corruption-free revenue services to the common man. On Thursday, a specialised team from the economic offences unit (EOU), led by a deputy superintendent of police-rank officer, was formally deputed to the department following a specific request. The team includes DSP Rakesh Kumar, inspector Hari Ojha and sub-inspector Sudhir Kumar Chaturvedi. Their mandate is to investigate complaints of corruption, illegal demands for money and irregularities by revenue officials and staff, the minister said. The revenue department is already overburdened with multiple high-stakes drives. The ongoing caste census work the ambitious 'rajaswa maha abhiyan' for land record corrections, registration of farmers under the Agri Stack system and the disposal of a massive backlog of mutation, record correction and land measurement cases. A senior revenue officer said that millions of mutation (dakhil-kharij) cases, corrections in land records (parimarjan) and land measurements remain pending across the state. This backlog has worsened due to repeated standoffs between circle officers (COs), revenue officers (ROs), and the state government in recent years. In March 2026, revenue officials under the Bihar Revenue Service Association (BiRSA) launched an indefinite strike over issues including promotions and cadre restructuring, bringing routine work - from mutation to boundary dispute resolution - to a virtual halt in most of the state's 537 circles. Similar agitations and work-to-rule protests have happened intermittently, delaying the digitisation drive and special land survey launched by then chief minister Nitish Kumar with a timeline to finish it by 2026. Officials say these disruptions, combined with persistent public complaints of bribery and favouritism at the circle level, forced the government's hand. The new EOU cell is expected to act as an internal watchdog....