Police beat up agriculturist, family members in Arasinamakki village

Police beat up agriculturist, family members in Arasinamakki village

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, July 3, 2015: An agriculturist and his family members from Arasinamakki Village in Belthangadi Taluk, have been assaulted by the police, PDO and supporters of GP member on Tuesday.

Briefing reporters, at the district BJP office in Mangaluru, on Thursday, the victim, Keshava Rao accused that the brutal act of police was part of the conspiracy by a Gram Panchayat member, who, along with the PDO of Arasinamakki Gram Panchayat, was involved in corrupt practices.

When Keshav Rao submitted a complaint to Lokayukta against the misappropriation of Gram Panchayat funds by the then Arasinamakki GP president and current GP member Jagannath Gowda Adkari, PDO Chandrashekhar and Secretary Venkappa Gowda, in 2014, Gowda and his supporters turned against the agriculturist, in a vengeful act.

In 1999-2000, the Gram Panchayat resolved to earmark the land opposite to Keshav Rao’s house, for cremation ground, without the notice of Keshav. The issue came to his notice only in 2007, when the survey of the land was carried out. Objecting the move of the GP, he filed an appeal against the decision of the Gram Panchayat in the Assistant Commissioner’s Court as well as in DC’s court.

The 5.6 acre patta land is the ancestral land belonging to Keshav’s mother and his siblings.

Keshav accused that the land opposite to his house was deliberately marked for the cremation ground, while there was an 50 acre empty land nearby.

But, without serving any notice and without the prior consent of the family, the Gram Panchayat carried out the marking of the above said land on June 29 morning, using a Hitachi machine.

When Keshav and his family members protested by lying down in front of the machine, Keshav, his brother and his 70 - year old mother S Lakshmi were abused and manhandled brutally by the supporters of GP member and the PDO. Keshav was arrested by the police and was confined in Uppinangadi police station, during when, he was viciously assaulted by the police, by beating him up and thus, injuring him seriously in the presence of Uppinangadi ASI Sanjiv Rai, he alleged. Also, false cases were lodged against him, he said.

He was produced before the Magistrate Court at 1 am on June 30.  However, on June 30 evening, he was released on bail. About 50 trees, out of which most are well grown rubber trees, have been felled using the machine. He questioned how the GP could carry out the survey and marking when the matter was still in the AC’s and DC’s court.

Terming it an assault on farmers’ rights, he urged the district administration to provide justice to him. BJP district unit President Prathap Simha Nayak was present.

 

Courtesy: DHNS