Some farmers from Khadarwadi village and Sri Ram Sena Hindustan workers protested in Belagavi on Friday, alleging that Abhay Patil, BJP MLA, and his brothers had encroached upon 155 acres of their land.
They marched to the Police Commissioner’s office and shouted slogans against the MLA. They submitted a memorandum to Commissioner Iada Martin Marbaniang, and sought protection of their land.
They said that there were only around 360 acres of cultivable land in their village, but the MLA and his brothers had allegedly encroached upon 155 acres through benami transactions. This had affected their livelihood and they were were forced to give up farming and take up menial jobs, they said in the memorandum.
Ramakant Konduskar, SRSH leader, said the accused had created an atmosphere of fear in the village, by issuing fake notices of land acquisition. This had forced some villagers to sell their land to intermediaries in survey numbers 407 to 450, Mr. Konduskar said.
He even alleged that Mr. Patil’s brothers had issued threats to some villagers who were not willing to part with their land.
