Karnataka minister warns of criminal proceedings against those involved in land scam
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda told the Legislative Council on Friday that criminal proceedings and departmental action would be initiated against officials and land mafia involved in the illegal grant of 'Bagair Hukum' land.
Replying to a question raised by MLC Ramesh Babu during Zero Hour, the minister said the department had uncovered serious irregularities in Chikkanayakanahalli taluk, where fake cultivation certificates were allegedly issued in farmers’ names to facilitate encroachment.
Gowda said, “We cannot tolerate the practice of illegally granting government land to land grabbers. Around 98 people in Chikkanayakanahalli taluk have been issued cultivation certificates in the names of farmers. An FIR has already been filed against the land grabbers who applied for land accounts using these fake certificates.”
ALSO READ: Nine killed, 23 injured as bus falls off ghat road in Andhra Pradesh
He said an investigation team was constituted on November 13 and sent to Chikkanayakanahalli soon after the matter came to the government’s notice.
"The investigation is underway. It is not possible to tamper with files without the support of record room officials. Hence, FIRs have been filed against all officials who were in charge of the record room in Chikkanayakanahalli taluk from 2018 onwards," the Minister informed the House.
He said the team is also verifying signatures on the fake certificates to ascertain which ones are genuine and which are forged.
Officials have sought one more week to submit the report, he said, adding that the government is treating the matter seriously and will initiate criminal cases and disciplinary action against all officials found involved once the report is received.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
SIR in Bengal: Bhabanipur records nearly 4 times more voter deletions than Nandigram, EC data shows
Kolkata (PTI): Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Bhabanipur constituency has recorded nearly four times more deletions from electoral rolls as against opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari’s Nandigram, according to constituency-wise data released by the Election Commission on Friday that highlighted significant variations across West Bengal.
According to a poll panel official, Bhabanipur (Kolkata), which had 1,61,509 voters in the rolls published in January 2025, saw 44,787 names removed in the latest revision, while Nandigram (Purba Medinipur district), with 2,78,212 voters, reported 10,599 deletions.
The commission has classified the deletions under standard categories such as deaths, relocation, and duplication of entries.
In the 2021 Assembly polls, Banerjee lost Nandigram to her one-time party colleague and protege Adhikari, who moved to the BJP just weeks before the election, by a margin of 1,956 votes.
Bhabanipur is not the constituency with the highest number of deletions, the official said.
ALSO READ: Shivakumar says cricket matches at Chinnaswamy stadium allowed to protect Bengaluru's image
Kolkata Port, represented by senior minister and Mayor Firhad Hakim, has recorded 63,730 deletions, the highest in the state.
Tollygunge, held by minister Aroop Biswas, has seen 35,309 deletions, he added.
In constituencies held by key BJP legislators, the deletion numbers are higher than Nandigram but lower than Kolkata Port, he said.
"Asansol South, represented by Agnimitra Paul, has seen 39,202 deletions, while Shankar Ghosh's Siliguri constituency has reported 31,181 deletions," the official said.
According to district-wise data, South 24 Parganas has recorded the highest volume of deletions at 8,16,047.
Incidentally, the district is considered a stronghold of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, who secured a victory margin of over seven lakh votes in the last Lok Sabha election.
Among the state's 294 Assembly segments, the highest constituency-level deletions occurred in Chowringhee in North Kolkata, represented by Trinamool MLA Nayana Bandyopadhyay.
The constituency has seen 74,553 names removed. The lowest deletions were reported from Kotulpur in Bankura district, where 5,678 names have been removed.
ALSO READ: Nightclub fire: Thai authorities initiating process to send back Luthra brothers to India
Overall, more than 58 lakh names have been deleted in the first phase of the SIR process. The Election Commission is scheduled to publish the draft electoral rolls on Tuesday.
