Mangaluru, July 3: Supported by BJP, a farmer has alleged that over a land litigation he and other farmers and a 70-year-old lady were assaulted by police and officials at Arasinamakki in Beltangady taluk.
The police had earlier filed a case alleging that the farmer and his family had assaulted them.
Addressing a press meet at the party office on Thursday July 2nd, district BJP president Pratap Simha Nayak alleged that due to political rivalry, the officials has assaulted a farmer Keshava Rao and others. Even a 70 year old lady was also assaulted and the farmers were arrested, he alleged.
Keshava Rao narrated about the issue and said, adjacent to his land is a kumki land, they were cultivating the crops and in 1992, a application was also submitted to the government by him along with his mom to grant them the land as per akrama-sakrama law. Since then he had approached various concerned authorities to get the land sanctioned.
Keshava further said, in 1999-2000 the then tahsildar decided to build a crematorium on our land for which he had submitted akrama-sakrama application, but they were not informed about it. Later, when Keshava learnt that construction of crematorium is planned in the said land, he had immediately rised objections and questioned the concerned about the files that he had submitted regarding that land earlier, but all the efforts were in vain.
He said, an RTI query was filed with the assistant commissioner and learnt that the file had gone to the high court in connection to some case. We objected every time the officials came to survey the land and even suggested that the crematorium could be built on the empty government land of over 50 acres situated on the opposite side of the road, but to no use. I have raised voice against the injustice and irregularities in Arasinamakki gram panchayat during meetings. I even complained to the Lokayukta about this. Out of political rivalry, the gram panchayat administration is trying to build crematorium on our land. I have even appealed to the DC for assistance, he said.
Narrating about the recent incident of alleged assault, he said, on June 29th, the officials without any prior notice brought a JCB and started earmarking the land boundary. When we objected, the police arrested my brothers and me, and also assaulted our mother Lakshmi and us. The police beat us up very badly. A complaint has been filed in the court against the police for this atrocity, said Keshava.
Cases have been filed against us on charges of interfering with police duty, assault and other non-bailable charges. The court however has granted us bail, said Keshava.
Through the media, we request the DC to intervene in the issue and save our land, appealed Keshava.
According to the rule, owner’s consent has to be taken before acquiring land, but they have not done so. This was all done due to political pressure and we were beaten up in the police station, he alleged.
An appeal would also be submitted to the superintendent of police, Keshava said.
