Forest Department of Chikkamagaluru district arrested suspended KAS officer J. Umesh, who earlier worked as tahsildar of Kadur taluk, on September 1 on the charge of granting forest land (Section 4) earmarked for a tiger reserve.
Kadur Range Forest Office registered an FIR against the KAS officer who was taken into custody soon after he was released on bail in another case filed by Revenue Department for a similar offence.
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J. Umesh, holding the post of Land Acquisition Officer at Seabird naval base in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, was arrested by Chikkamagaluru police on August 25, based on a complaint by Tarikere sub-division Assistant Commissioner K.J. Kantharaj. He was accused of issuing khatas of five acres and four guntas of government land in Uliganur village in Birur in the name of private individuals. Following his arrest, he was suspended by the Revenue Department.
J. Umesh was released on bail on September 1. He was immediately taken into custody by the Forest Department.
Ramesh Babu, Deputy Conservator of Forests of Chikkamagaluru division, told The Hindu that Kadur RFO registered the FIR against Umesh in connection with grant of vast tracts of land at Emmedoddi. “There are about 13,000 acres of land in Survey Number 70 of Emmedoddi. We have primarily noticed grant of land located in the forest in 14 cases, violating the Indian Forest Act. There are many such cases, which will be revealed during the investigation,” he said.
