Mumbai, Sep 28: The Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Maharashtra government, alleging a massive Rs 900 crore illegal land scam in the Konkan region.

Addressing a press conference here, Raut claimed that prime agricultural and forest land in the Sindhudurg district has been illegally transferred to wealthy non-agricultural investors from Bengaluru, Delhi, and Hyderabad in violation of land protection laws.

Raut alleged that fertile agricultural land across the Vengurla, Sawantwadi, and Dodamarg talukas of Sindhudurg district has been systematically transferred to non-farmers. Under Maharashtra’s Prevention of Fragmentation and Consolidation of Holdings Act (Tukde Bandi Act), selling fragmented agricultural land to non-agriculturalists without statutory permissions is prohibited.

Raut implicated cabinet ministers and local MLAs representing the Konkan region, accusing them of partnering with “outsiders” and acting as real estate brokers.

“A prominent ‘Hindutva’ cabinet minister from Konkan is acting as an estate agent to hand over local farmers’ land to non-locals,” he charged, demanding to know the exact commission earned from the deals.

He, however, did not mention any names of either the Cabinet Minister or local MLAs.

Beyond the Rs 900 crore recorded on paper, substantial unregistered black money changed hands, he alleged, adding that illegal deforestation is underway across the acquired plots while buyers have already seized physical possession.

Raut highlighted that Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Jayant Patil had previously raised the issue, yet the transactions continued unabated. He accused the state Revenue Department of conducting a sham investigation over the past three years without taking enforcement action.

Issuing a direct challenge to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Raut demanded the immediate publication of all land transfer records in Sindhudurg.

He urged the government to disclose the names of all buyers, the key facilitators behind the deals, and the ministers or MLAs driving the operations.

Raut announced plans to lead a delegation of local Shiv Sena (UBT) workers to inspect the disputed sites in Sindhudurg and expose the extent of the environmental and legal violations on the ground.

Bengaluru, Sep 28: A 60-year-old man was killed in a suspected wild elephant attack near Anchepalya, off Mysuru Road in Bengaluru, on Monday.

The deceased has been identified as Nagaraj, a resident of Anchepalya. The incident occurred around 5.30 a.m. when Nagaraj had reportedly stepped out for his morning walk. He was rushed to a hospital for treatment, but succumbed to his injuries.

The incident was reported from behind Rajarajeshwari Medical College near Kengeri, an area under the Kaggalipura Forest zone. Forest officials suspect the wild elephant may have entered the area from the nearby Bannerghatta forest region.

The Forest Department has launched a search operation to trace the elephant, which disappeared after the incident. The presence of the elephant has triggered fear among local residents, with people reportedly hesitant to venture out of their homes.

Police and local residents suspect that Nagaraj was attacked by the elephant after two compound walls at the spot were found collapsed. CCTV footage from the area has also captured the movement of an elephant. The footage reportedly shows the animal moving at speed around 5.11 a.m.

Officials have also gathered information about another person who had gone out for a morning walk and reportedly escaped the elephant at the last moment.

Meanwhile, family members of the deceased and villagers staged a protest at RR Hospital, expressing outrage over the alleged negligence of the Forest Department. They demanded that the Forest Minister visit the spot and announce immediate compensation for Nagaraj’s family, which has four daughters.

“He went out for a walk at around 5.30 a.m. today. Someone came and informed us that Nagaraj had been attacked by a wild elephant, following which we rushed to the spot. We go for morning walks every day, but this tragedy happened today. The elephant had never come anywhere near our area,” family members said.

Deceased Nagaraj’s daughter, Shobha, stated, “We had also gone for a walk and were walking behind him. Someone known to us alerted us that an elephant was roaming in the area. We ran away and asked him where my father was. He told us that my father had gone ahead, and he then ran back out of fear. After some time, we went in search of our father.

I screamed, ‘Appa’, but he did not respond. By then, the elephant had attacked him. There was a compound wall, and there was no way for him to escape. It attacked him. We have been going for morning walks for the past three years, almost every day, and no such incident had taken place before.”

A case has been registered at Kumbalgodu Police Station, and further investigation is underway.

It can be recalled that a 33-year-old tourist from Chennai was killed at Karnataka’s Dubare Elephant Camp in Kodagu district when two captive elephants clashed during a river bath, causing one to fall on her. Following this and other wild elephant conflicts in the region, the state government banned tourist interaction and mandated strict new safety distances.

Kolkata, Sep 28: Three FIRs have been registered till Monday morning in connection with the violent clashes that broke out at the campus of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) between members of Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) and students on Sunday, which left several people injured.

According to police, of the three FIRs, one has been filed by the ABGP members and the second by a section of students of SRFTI. The third FIR has been registered suo motu by the police. No one has been detained or arrested in this connection so far.

Meanwhile, tension continued to prevail at the SRFTI campus after Sunday’s clashes, which intermittently lasted for around seven to eight hours. A huge police contingent has been deployed outside the campus to prevent further escalation.

The violence broke out at around 1 p.m. on Sunday, when the ABGP programme was underway at the SRFTI campus and a group of activists belonging to the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the students’ wing of the CPI(M), arrived at the programme venue.

SFI activists reportedly questioned the organisers about the holding of the programme in the auditorium. The organisers accused the SFI activists of tearing down the pictures and banners of Bharat Mata and Swami Vivekananda.

However, the SFI activists claimed that the SRFTI management permitted AVGP to hold the programme without informing them. They also accused the organisers of calling them “militants” and “Bangladeshis”. They claimed that the SFI members were assaulted for protesting against this.

On the other hand, ABGP accused the SFI activists of disrupting their programme without any provocation. They alleged that SFI members raised “Azadi: slogans. ABGP also claimed that they had permission from the authorities for holding the programme.

A large police force, led by the divisional Deputy Commissioner of Police concerned, rushed to the spot after receiving information about the clashes. Tensions escalated further in the presence of the police, with reports of scuffles involving students and event organisers.

Some students also accused the police of recording the names and residential details of complainants instead of taking immediate action against those responsible for the violence. They expressed fears of possible harassment and demanded the immediate registration of cases against the accused. A section of students staged a protest around a police vehicle in support of their demand.