Chikkamagaluru: Kadur Tahsildar arrested in Bengaluru for alleged illegal land transfer
Chikkamagaluru: In a significant development, Kadur police officers have arrested G Umesh, the Tahsildar of Kadur, in Bengaluru on Friday. The arrest was carried out in connection with allegations of unlawfully transferring government land to private entities.
The accusations leveled against Umesh pertain to the purported transfer of a 5.04-acre government fallow site located in Survey No. 43 within Ulinagaru village of Birur hobli, Kadur taluk. The land was allegedly transferred into the names of individual parties in contravention of established regulations.
Prompted by these allegations, the Chikkamagaluru Deputy Commissioner issued instructions, leading to Tarikere Assistant Commissioner Dr. KJ Kantharaj filing a formal complaint against Umesh and two additional revenue officers under the provisions of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act. Subsequently, acting on the complaint, the Kadur police officers proceeded to arrest Umesh in Bengaluru.
It is noteworthy that farmer leaders have voiced concerns regarding perceived delays in the arrest of the three accused officers, raising questions about the timing and handling of the situation.
G Umesh, who had been recently transferred to Uttara Kannada district, formerly held the position of land acquisition officer at the Seabird Naval Base in Karwar.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
