Angry villagers demand inquiry into farmer’s mysterious death

Angry villagers demand inquiry into farmer’s mysterious death

Mangalore Today News Network

Karwar, June 8: A 50-year-old farmer called Irappa Jatta Naik of Katagarkoppa Kerehonda in Bhatkal died mysteriously when forest officials allegedly destroyed a farm he had raised on encroached land.

 

 

 

 

The locals say that he had grown areca, banana, and palm trees on the encroached land and depended on it to make a living. Allegedly, he had encroached upon 30 guntas of land that comes under forest survey number 338. Although forest officials had destroyed his crops four times in row, the farmer insisted on raising crops on that land. When forest officials again destroyed the farm on Monday evening, Irappa collapsed and died on the stop. The cause of death is not yet known. 

His family found his dead body later and informed the police. Furious villages protested and did not allow the body to be cremated. They demanded immediate action to be taken against the forest officials responsible for the farmer’s death. They even blocked the vehicle that was brought to shift the body for over three hours and demanded that the DC should visit the spot and take action immediately. 

DC B. N. Krishnaiah and SP Ramesh later visited the spot and assured the angry people that the case will be investigated and that compensation will be paid to the family members of the victim. Irappas’s son Ramchandra Naik has lodged a complaint against the forest department with the Bhatkal Police.