Tumakuru: Karnataka’s Congress government has come under fire once again this time over explosive allegations that a sitting Deputy Commissioner (DC) misused her official login ID and digital signature to enable blatant land grabbing, illegally transferring government land into private hands. Addressing a press conference in Tumakuru on Thursday, Karnataka Rashtra Samithi (KRS) State President Ravikrishna Reddy launched a scathing attack on DC Shubha Kalyan, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda and Home Minister Dr. G Parameshwara, accusing them of shielding powerful vested interests and letting open land loot flourish under their watch.

“Forget blaming village accountants or local revenue officials. The DC herself gave her login ID and approved digital signatures to enable the illegal transfer of government property to private individuals. This is a brazen misuse of power. She must be suspended immediately and a full-fledged judicial probe must be ordered.

Until the report comes out, she must be removed from her duties,” Ravikrishna Reddy demanded, calling the incident the tip of the iceberg in the Tumakuru land mafia network.

In a startling revelation, Reddy pointed out that Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has himself admitted that large-scale illegality has taken place in land approvals under the DC’s watch. Yet, no action has been taken so far. “The minister is happy doing photo-ops in Bengaluru’s plush corridors.

For Tumakuru, for rural Karnataka, there is no governance at all. For decades, Parameshwara has claimed to control Tumakuru politics — yet, under his nose, government land is being stolen by the powerful,” Reddy alleged.

He ridiculed Parameshwara’s political legacy, saying: “Despite 40 years in politics, he could not even get a single government medical college for Tumakuru district.

What development will people expect from him when he cannot even safeguard the basic land rights of the poor?”