A disturbing case of alleged land grabbing, involving forgery and official collusion, has emerged from Chikkanayakanahalli village in Belagodu Hobli of Sakleshpur Taluk, Hassan District. A Scheduled Caste woman, Siddamma, was fraudulently declared dead through forged records, enabling an Islamist man to unlawfully transfer her land to his own name, despite the fact that she is alive.
According to Public TV, as per the complaint, Siddamma’s husband, Siddaiah, was allotted 1.20 acres of land in Survey No. 68 under the Scheduled Caste quota in 1983. Following his death in 1992, the land was legally transferred to Siddamma. For years, the family cultivated the land without dispute. After Siddamma’s health deteriorated and she moved to her son’s house, Sheikh Mohammad, a family acquaintance, sought permission to cultivate the land in exchange for an annual payment.
The family alleges that taking advantage of her ill health and absence from the property, Sheikh Mohammad fabricated a will dated March 3, 2008, falsely projected himself as Siddamma’s adopted son, and shockingly managed to procure a death certificate declaring her deceased. Using these forged documents, he allegedly had the land mutated in his name and took control of the property.
Siddamma’s children, Ningaraju and Ratnamma, have accused revenue officials of gross misconduct and collusion, stating that such a fraud could not have occurred without institutional complicity. They have demanded a comprehensive probe and strict action against officials, including the village accountant, revenue inspector, and deputy tahsildar, who allegedly facilitated the illegal transfer.
Speaking to the media, Ningaraju said the family has approached multiple authorities, including the police, tahsildar, superintendent of police, deputy commissioner, and even the state revenue minister, but no FIR has been registered so far. Local residents have also pointed out that the accused has been named in another case and was previously booked under provisions related to atrocities against Dalits.
Despite the gravity of the allegations, falsification of death records, forgery of a will, and illegal alienation of Scheduled Caste land, the police have so far limited their response to acknowledging receipt of a complaint. The delay in registering an FIR has raised serious questions about administrative accountability, as the family continues to seek justice and restoration of their land.
