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Karnataka News: Karnataka BJP MP Pratap Simha’s brother Vikram Simha was Saturday arrested by the state forest department in connection with a wood smuggling case. Vikram Simha is accused of illegally felling as many as 126 trees worth crores of rupees and smuggling wood in a village of Hassan district of Karnataka, officials said.
According to officials, Vikram Simha was arrested by the Organised Crime Squad of Bengaluru’s City Crime Branch (CCB) and was later handed over to Karnataka forest department who had registered an FIR against him for allegeding chopping down trees without proper permission and smuggling wood in the Nandagondanahalli village.
Vikram’s wood smuggling operation came to light when a revenue officer discovered it during a field visit to the village. The officer then alerted the forest department officials of the case who filed an FIR.
An official said the accused illegally felled trees in a government-owned forest land spread over 12 acres and marked as gomala land (pasture land for cattle).
Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre confirmed the arrests and said that Vikram Simha was arrested by the authorities for illegally cutting 126 trees and smuggling the wood in Hassan district.
“They have felled nearly 126 big trees which were as old as 50 to 60 years. This is a criminal act. (The) Forest Conservation Act is there, (the) Tree Conservation Act is there, he has violated all of these,” India Today quoted Khandre as saying.
Vikram Simha’s brother, Pratap Simha, the BJP MP from Mysuru, had recently hogged headlines after it was revealed that he had issued passes to the two men who jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber and set off smoke canisters.
The two persons had jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber on December 13 had entered the House on visitor passes issued on the recommendation of Simha’s office.
On the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack on December 13, two men jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during the Zero Hour, released yellow smoke from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by MPs.
Around the same time, two others, including a woman, raised slogans and released yellow smoke from canisters outside the Parliament premises, prompting police to round up the duo.
Reacting to the allegations and demands for probe by opposition leader, Simha had defiantly declared that that people will decide during the 2024 general elections whether he was a patriot or a traitor.
However, the Congress alleged that Simha was alleged he was “running away” from answering why and how did he facilitate the entry of two intruders in the Lok Sabha.
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