SMK relatives grabbed land: Social activist SR Hiremath

Social activist SR Hiremath demanded criminal prosecution against businessmen Siddharth and Raja Bagamane, close relatives of former SM Krishna.

Releasing documents supporting his claim, Hiremath said both had encroached lands in Peenya Industrial stage-II, Byrasandra Kelaginakere and Kaggadaspur lake in CV Raman Nagar and Kaggadaspura in Bangalore urban district.

“The story of the conspiracy to grab valuable land ‘legally’ started in 2000 with an elaborated plan, to systematically extend the extent for housing Cafe Coffee Day, McDonald Restaurant, HPCL petrol bunk. The alleged constellation that helped both Siddharth and Raja Bagamane include Jayakar Jerome, then BDA commissioner (2000-2004), DK Shivakumar, who was first cooperation and later urban development minister (2002-2004), SM Krishna then chief minister (2000-2004), is borne by both the socalled ‘civic amenities’ sites in Peenya Industrial suburb-II in Peenya village in Bangalore North taluk,” Hiremath explained.

He continued: “The letter of HPCL to Jayakar Jerome dated Aug 1, 2003, gives details of how the alleged conspiracy led first to get CA site 1 and then expanded to more than gobbling up another adjacent site thereby increasing the area from original allotment of 1,828 square metre to almost double the size to 3825 square metre.