Siddapura (Kodagu)  – Even as Chief Minister Siddharamaiah was holding a meeting at Bengaluru to find a solution for relocation of Diddalli tribals, a coffee planter was arrested by the Police on Monday night for firing at Diddalli camp, as some of the camp residents had failed to report for work after taking  advance money.

The arrested has been identified as Poonacha, 50, of Gudluru village. In his statement to the Police, Poonacha said that he had paid some tribals of Diddali camp as advance money for working at his coffee plantation. But as those who received money from him did not report for work on Monday, he got enraged and fired at the huts erected in the camp, he said. As nobody was in the huts of the camp, there were no reports of any casualties or injuries.

Details

It was raining at Diddalli on Monday night, when a person who came on a motorcycle to the camp at about 10.30 pm, fired two rounds at the camp. The DAR Police who were camping nearby and some camp residents, after hearing gun shots, rushed to the spot, when the person managed to flee from the spot on his motorcycle.

The Police who visited the spot on Tuesday morning, discovered 3 empty cartridges and five tickets of Ambedkar Yuvakara Sangha lucky dip draw on which the names of various organisations were marked.

The Police, who began enquiry, got to know that Poonacha of Gudluru village had visited the camp on Saturday too and had picked up a quarrel with Diddalli displaced tribals.

Subsequently, the Police on Wednesday, visited Poonacha’s house and inspected his gun, when they found that the empty cartridges they had recovered from the spot, matched with that of the serial number of cartridges that was in possession of Poonacha. Also 6 lucky dip draw tickets were found in his possession, which numbers too tallied with the serial number of tickets found at the spot.

Also, the tyre marks found at the spot, matched with that of Poonacha’s motorcycle. When the Police interrogated him, Poonacha confessed that he was the one who fired gun shots at the camp on Monday night. Poonacha was produced before the Judge, who remanded him to judicial custody.

Kodagu SP Rajendra Prasad, who has commended Siddapura PSI J.K. Subramani and staff, has announced a reward of         Rs. 10,000.

MLA reacts

Meanwhile, Virajpet MLA K.G. Bopaiah has alleged that the Chief Minister had held a meeting with Diddalli tribals, by keeping Legislators of the District and the MP in the dark.

Speaking to presspersons at Siddapura CHESCom Office after launching Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyothi electricity scheme on Wednesday, Bopaiah said that he had no objection to the Government providing sites to Diddalli displaced persons. But the Chief Minister had ignored the local legislators while holding meeting with Diddalli tribals, he said.

Taking strong objection to Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa’s statement that bonded labour was still alive in Kodagu, he said that the Minister’s statement was wrong.

Asserting that estate owners and workers maintained a cordial relationship in Kodagu, Bopaiah said that the Minister might have been misled by officials.

Kagodu Thimmappa to visit Diddalli tomorrow

Madikeri: Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa will visit Diddalli on April 15 at 11 am and will speak to the evacuees. He will later review the forest and revenue land status. At 3.45 pm, he will leave for Kedamullur in Virajpet.

On April 16 at 10 am, the Minister will conduct a spot inspection of the proposed sites at Basavanahalli in Somwarpet which have been earmarked to be distributed among Diddalli residents. He will also visit the land at Byadagotta village in Madalapura.