Bengaluru: In a new twist to the Shivarama Karanth Layout land denotification scam in which State BJP President B.S. Yeddyurappa has been booked by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), a KAS officer, alleged yesterday that the ACB Police tried to arm twist him into implicating former CM Yeddyurappa.

In letters written to Governor Vajubhai R. Vala, Chief Secretary Shubash Chandra Khuntia and the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), KAS officer H. Basavarajendra alleged that two ACB Dy.SPs — Balaraj and J.K. Anthony John, pressured him to give a statement against Yeddyurappa.

Basavarajendra, who served as Special Land Acquisition Officer of the BDA from July 2010 to Sept. 2011, alleged that the Dy.SPs threatened to make him an accused in the case after reminding him that he was due for promotion to the IAS.

Basavarajendra said that he visited ACB a couple of times in the second week of August. Claiming that he was called again to meet Dy.SPs Balaraj and Anthony John on Aug.10, the KAS officer in his letter said ‘After discussing for about half-an-hour, Dy.SP Balaraj started dictating a statement to be issued by me that the alleged denotification was done by the then CM B.S. Yeddyurappa and that he had passed illegal orders of denotification and caused loss of Rs. 2,000 crore to the Government and consequential gain to himself.’

Basavarajendra said that he refused to sign the statement and walked out of the office after which he received a notice from the ACB on Aug.17, for the case registered against him under section 41A of Cr.PC. “Since I refused to heed to the illegal demand made by ACB Dy.Sps, now I have come to know on enquiry that I have been arrayed as accused no.2 in respect of the case registered by the ACB,” the KAS officer maintained in his letter.