Farmer cuts branch of sandalwood near Vidhana Soudha in protest against NHAI, detained

On reaching the spot, he found a man holding a branch of sandalwood. The man identified himself as T N Vishukumar, a resident of Kodi Camp in Tarikere taluk, Chikkamagaluru district. The police detained him and seized the machete used in the act.

According to the police, Vishukumar told them that he had been protesting the clearing of sandalwood trees cultivated on his land in connection with an NHAI highway project. He said that around 30 sandalwood trees on his four-acre land were being cut following acquisition proceedings in Tarikere taluk. After protesting locally, he came to Bengaluru and cut a branch of the government-owned sandalwood tree near the Vidhana Soudha to draw the government’s attention to his grievance, the police said.

An FIR has been registered against Vishukumar under sections 324(4) (mischief) and 324(5) (intentionally causing wrongful loss or damage to public or private property) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the Karnataka Forest Act.

Further investigation is underway.