Mysuru: In a disturbing incident reported from Varuna Hobli’s Gudamadanahalli village, a woman Village Accountant (VAO) and a Village Assistant were allegedly subjected to death threats, verbal abuse, and obstruction of official duty while inspecting land earmarked for government acquisition. The incident has come to light after a formal complaint was lodged with the police.
The affected officials — G. Bhavya, Village Accountant of Bandipalya Circle, and Naveen Kumar, Village Assistant — were conducting a site inspection of land proposed to be acquired for the construction of a NIMHANS-model hospital, a flagship project envisioned in the Varuna Assembly constituency, which is represented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
According to the complaint filed at the Mysuru South Rural Police Station, the accused, identified as G.M. Puttaswamy, a resident of Gudamadanahalli village, allegedly abused the officials in obscene language, issued murder threats, and deliberately obstructed their official work.
The land under inspection comprises a total of 20 acres, including:
- 5 acres 05 guntas in Survey No. 8
- 6 acres 10 guntas in Survey No. 60
- 8 acres 25 guntas in Survey No. 68
These parcels were officially identified for the proposed hospital project following government directions to initiate the land acquisition process.
Police sources said the accused had allegedly illegally developed an areca nut plantation on the notified land. During the inspection, he reportedly confronted the officials, questioning who had authorised the allocation of land for the hospital project and threatened them with dire consequences.
The incident was partially recorded on a mobile phone by Village Assistant Naveen Kumar. However, the complaint alleges that the accused forcibly snatched the mobile phone and deleted the video, further aggravating the offence.
In her complaint, VAO G. Bhavya stated that as a woman government officer, she felt intimidated and unsafe, and that the accused’s actions created a climate of fear, preventing her from performing her duties freely. She has sought legal action against the accused and police protection to ensure the safe discharge of official responsibilities.
The police have registered a case under relevant sections for criminal intimidation, obstruction of public servants, and destruction of evidence, and further investigation is underway.
The incident has raised serious concerns over safety of frontline government officials, particularly women officers, during land acquisition and field inspections — even in constituencies represented at the highest level of the state government.
ಇದನ್ನೂ ಓದಿ: ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ಸಿದ್ದರಾಮಯ್ಯ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ ವರುಣಾದಲ್ಲೇ ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗೆ ಕೊಲೆ ಬೆದರಿಕೆ!
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