Bangalore, Jul 18 (DHNS): A tahsildar’s decision to allot 12 acres of land to freedom fighters has snowballed into a major controversy, the full force of which came to the fore on Saturday when her office in K R Puram was locked and she had to force it open.
A demonstration at the scene by the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti supporting her cause added a political twist to the entire episode.
The land allotment had led to the suspension of Tahsildar Asha Parveen on June 17, based on a complaint by the K R Puram MLA Nandish Reddy, who alleged that she had given away land meant for freedom fighters to “some others”. Among the beneficiaries was Ramakrishna Hegde’s elder brother M R Hegde. But she obtained a stay from the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT) on her suspension.
On Thursday, she was transferred to Khadi Gramodyog Board. But she managed to get a stay on this too. Sensing trouble, Asha stayed away from the office on Saturday morning. But when she went in the afternoon, she found her office locked. The lock was broken open.
Background
In 1966, the government had decided to allot 39.29 acres of land to 13 political sufferers on payment of an upset price of Rs 200. Only seven were allotted the land then.
In 1989, a Tahsildar decided to cancel the allotment, but the then Divisional Commissioner not only scrapped the order but also directed the Tahsildar to identify the remaining six political sufferers and allot them the land if they are alive or transfer it to their successors. But the administration did not take any measures.
Last year, then Tahsildar Venkatesh gave away land to one of the beneficiaries S S Hedge. This year on May 28, Asha Parveen identified four more freedom fighters and allotted 12 acres of land at Kyalasanahalli in the K R Puram area.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner (Bangalore Urban) Ayyappa said the Tahsildar had unilaterally identified the freedom fighters and allotted the land. “She should have written a letter to us. Subsequently, a committee should have been formed and the land could have been allotted. Even in the current situation, we had to fix upset price afresh.”
In her defence, Parveen said: “People are creating hurdles on my way. I do not think I have done any harm to people.”