Key Points

Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council and senior BJP leader, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy made the statement in this regard.

"In the meeting of the Vigilance Committee on Scheduled Castes and Tribes, I had brought to the notice of the Chief Minister that the lands belonging to Dalits of Dinnuru village were illegally seized by forest officials, who demolished houses and encroached upon their lands. This has been done despite there being a court order," he alleged.

Narayanaswamy also said, "Out of the total land, 711 acres belong to the Forest Department, 250 to 300 acres are under the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB), where factories have already been constructed. Another 250 acres are with the Railways. Some private individuals too have purchased land and built factories and apartments."

"Forty-five acres have been given to the Metro. What remains is only 120 acres, which firmly belongs to the Dalits of that village. In fact, there was no such village called Dinnuru earlier. In 1950, to provide livelihood and compensation to bonded labourers, the government had distributed this land in plots of 4–5 acres along with houses. Since then, the families have been engaged in farming on that land," Narayanaswamy charged.

"Now, under the pretext of forest land, some officials, without the knowledge or orders of the Chief Secretary or Deputy Inspector General of Police, have encroached upon these lands using local police officials. Saplings are now being planted on the seized land," he said.

"I had raised this matter in the House. At that time, Ministers had given evasive replies. But upon thorough review, it has become clear that the Forest Department cannot claim possession of this land," Narayanaswamy added.

"Yesterday, I appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to register an atrocity case against those who attempted the illegal seizure. The CM has directed the DIG and Chief Secretary to take action. I have demanded that atrocity cases be booked against the officials involved and the land be restored to the Dalits. The Chief Minister has responded positively to this demand," he said.

- IANS