An FIR were registered on 16 December over the unauthorised felling of hundreds of scheduled trees in Karnataka's Hassan district.
BJP's Mysuru MP Pratap Simha denies allegations on his brother Vikram Simha's involvement in unauthorised tree felling and smuggling in Belur. (supplied)
Two days after it emerged that Vikram Simha was accused of being involved in the illegal felling of hundreds of trees and smuggling wood from Hassan district’s Nandagondanahalli village, his brother and BJP MP Pratap Simha denied these allegations.
The Lok Sabha member from Mysuru-Kodagu is already entwined in a controversy over his office’s role in issuing passes to two people involved in the Parliament security breach from earlier this month.
Pratap Simha, on Tuesday, claimed that his brother was a farmer living away from public life and was not named in the FIR connected to the tree-felling case.
“My brother made an agreement to cultivate ginger. The agreement for the lease is from January 2024 to July 2025. The task of chopping the trees belonging to the Forest Department on that particular land was given to a person named Ravi by the owner. He has been named in the FIR. What is the relation between this and my brother?” asked Simha.
He also clarified that his family members, including two brothers and a sister, never interfered in his political works. He alleged that this is a conspiracy hatched by the Congress to defame him.
The BJP’s Mysuru MP demanded the Congress government to investigate in detail about the allegations levelled against his brother Vikram Simha over connection to this incident.
Karnataka Minister for Forest, Ecology, and Environment Eshwar Khandre and Hassan Chief Conservator of Forest R Ravishankar had confirmed to South First that Vikram Simha was booked over his alleged involvement in the case.
However, Rakesh Shetty and Jayamma Shetty — residents of Nandagondanahalli — and ‘others’ have been named in the FIR. There is no mention of Vikram Simha by name in the FIR copy.
It may be noted that scheduled trees were chopped in around 12 acres. Around four acres belonged to two other accused who had made an agreement with Vikram Simha for the cultivation of ginger.
Mysuru MP Pratap Simha, who has been making headlines since the security breach in the Lok Sabha on 13 December, hit out at the Congress.
He said the party was tarnishing his image in the security breach incident and dragging his brother into the case of unauthorised wood-felling and smuggling.
Pratap Simha told reporters in Mysuru: “After the recent incident of security breach in the Lok Sabha, the Congress is attacking me. From the Congress’ cardholders to the chief minister to his son, everyone is pouncing on me.”
He added: “The Congress does all kinds of politics to appease Muslims. It humiliated Muslims by portraying me in an Islamic outfit. This clearly shows that Muslims were being portrayed as terrorists. Their religion was insulted.”
ಮಾನ್ಯ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿಗಳೇ, ನನ್ನ ತಮ್ಮ ಮರಗಳ್ಳನಾ? ನಿಮ್ಮದೇ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಹಾಕಿರುವ FIR ನಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾರ ಹೆಸರಿದೆ? ನನ್ನ ಮೇಲೆ ಇನ್ನೂ ನಡೆಯಲಿದೆ ಅವ್ಯಾಹತ ಆಕ್ರಮಣ. pic.twitter.com/cjWzMY6qju
— Pratap Simha (@mepratap) December 26, 2023
Simha reiterated that he had given clarification on 24 December that Mysuru’s Goddess Chamundeshwari and Brahmagiri’s Goddess Cauvery, people of Mysuru-Kodagu, his development works in the last nine and half years, and fans following his writings for the last two decades would decide his fate in 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
On the allegations against his brother, Simha pointed out: “The day I gave clarifications about the security breach, the Congress posted on social media that ‘Pratap Simha’s brother is a wood smuggler’. What is the reason behind it?”
He noted that the Congress government was in power in Karnataka. “An FIR was registered on 16 December. Whose names are in FIR? What is the relation between my brother and Rakesh, Jayamma, and Ravi?” asked the Mysuru MP.
He further said: “Siddaramaiah knows very well that it is difficult to defeat Pratap Simha in Mysuru. The extent to which he will stoop for his son’s political career is very clear.”
He added: “For the past 15 years, my brother has been making a living by cultivating ginger on lands taken on lease.”
Simha also said: “I have two brothers and a sister. Have the people of Mysuru and Kodagu seen them? Does anyone in my segment know that I have siblings? They work for me only for one month — during the elections. They never interfere in my political affairs.”
He added: “Are any other politician’s brothers or family members eking a livelihood through agriculture? How many politicians would say proudly that their brothers or family members have not indulged in their political affairs? I will say it proudly.”
Stating that he had been targeted on purpose, Simha challenged the Siddaramaiah government to carry out a detailed probe into the allegations against his brother.
“The entire administration and system are in your (Congress) hands. Why is there so much vengeance against me?” he asked.
“Is it because politicians coming from humble and rural backgrounds should not do good work or grow in politics? I will list out all the development works carried out in my segment in the last nine and a half years. Will you be able to list out development works carried out in 40 years?” Simha challenged Siddaramaiah.
Predicting more such attacks on him ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Simha said: “The chief minister knows very well that no matter who is fielded against me, Pratap Simha will win here because I have the blessings of the people and goddesses. He is attacking me because he knows the chief minister’s chair will be under threat if the Congress loses Mysuru.”
Meanwhile, the officials concerned have remained tight-lipped on the incident and no arrest has been made so far.
The environmental scandal came to light when Belur Tahsildar Mamatha went on a field visit to inspect other development works near the Nandagondanahalli village.
As soon as it came to her notice that hundreds of trees had been chopped, she alerted the forest officials and directed them to lodge a complaint against the accused.
Mamatha told South First: “When I and my staff went for inspection of other works, we found out several trees were uprooted. Initially, there were only a few trees chopped but when inspected, it was found out that hundreds of trees had been cut without permission from the department concerned.”
She added: “A few people who were busy managing these uprooted trees fled the spot. We also ascertained that there was an agreement between two parties over ginger cultivation for about four acres of land and the remaining was government land.”
Mamatha, however, refrained from disclosing the identities of the accused, claiming that the investigation was being conducted by the Forest Department.
When South First contacted Hassan’s Forest Department officials, they did not respond to the calls.
However, on condition of anonymity, a forest officer told South First: “We will not be able to disclose any information related to the case. The probe is underway and no arrest has been made so far.”
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