Accusing the Congress of misusing power to divert attention of people from bad governance, former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy accused the Karnataka government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of registering a false case to implicate the brother of Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simmha.
“The voices of those opposed to Congress are being muzzled by misusing power. Pratap Simmha has been a vocal critic. Laws were violated to arrest Vikram Simha, brother of the MP,” he told mediapersons in Bengaluru.
According to the former CM, the land in a village near Belur in Hassan district on which trees were cut belonged to a lady, and that Vikram Simha had taken the land on lease to grow ginger. “The lease period was from January 2024 till 2027. The tree-felling by the woman and an aide happened in December 2023,” he said.
While the woman and her aide were made accused number 1 and 2, and were let off on office bail, Vikram Simha’s name was added later in the FIR as accused number 3. He was arrested and produced in a court. “Why was his name added later? Why was he produced in a court unlike the other accused? In fact, the court has reprimanded officials for producing Vikram Simha in court instead of giving him bail at the office. No precious trees were removed from the land that the MP’s brother had taken on lease”.
Accusing the Chief Minister of interfering in the case for political vendetta, he alleged, “Only to fix Vikram Simha, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah spoke to PCCF to bring Rosewood logs from the nearby Gendekere forest and dump them in the land. When DCF Mohan Kumar refused to comply with the order, he, along with four other forest personnel, were suspended. An inquiry into the call record details will shed light on the conversation that the PCCF had.”
Mr. Kumaraswamy said that both Vikram Simha’s case and the arrest of a kar sevak in Hubballi in connection with a 30-year-old case were meant to divert attention of people over lack of development in Karnataka. “The government is misusing its power and indulging in politics of hate. I am saying this with proper information. This is how the government is functioning.”
