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Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has warned that disciplinary action will be taken against those officials who change the land mutation records and serve eviction notices to farmers under the Waqf Act.

In a letter, the Revenue Department Principal Secretary Rajender Kumar Kataria reminded all regional commissioners and deputy commissioners in the districts that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recently had a meeting following complaints about certain land properties being made in favour of the Karnataka Board of Waqfs.

In the meeting it was decided that all the directions issued previously by any government office or authority to change the mutation records has been withdrawn, the letter said.

It added that all the notices served in the past have also been withdrawn and no action should be taken against the farmers who are cultivating on the said land.

On the directions of the chief minister, the previous letters and the latest reminders served on November 7 to the farmers and land owners have been withdraw, the letter said.

"The officials who served reminder-2 despite the chief minister's direction will face appropriate disciplinary action," Kataria said in his letter.

He said he has been instructed to strictly implement the chief minister's direction.

The fresh direction was issued in poll-bound Karnataka, where bypolls to three crucial assembly segments are due on November 13.

Some farmers in Honwad village in Vijayapura in north Karnataka had alleged last month that they were served eviction notices as the Waqf Board claimed rights over it.

Subsequently, complaints started in pouring in from some other parts of the state.

BJP leader Tejasvi Surya on October 25 alleged that Karnataka Waqf Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan directed the deputy commissioners and revenue officials to register lands in favour of the Waqf Board within 15 days, which resulted in confusion.

On Surya's request, the Chairman of the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Jagdambika Pal visited Karnataka on November 7 and met farmers in Hubballi, Vijayapura and Belagavi districts who had alleged that their lands were marked as Waqf properties.

Mangaluru: A fraud case involving ₹43.32 lakh has been reported at the CEN station, where an individual was deceived under the guise of investment opportunities. 

The victim was promised high returns from stock and Initial Public Offering (IPO) transactions.

According to the complaint, the victim received a WhatsApp message on September 25 from an unknown sender identifying himself as Manju Pachisi, an Assistant at IIFL Securities Limited. 

The sender encouraged the victim to invest by sharing an online link, claiming significant profits could be earned from stock and IPO transactions.

Additionally, another link was sent via the Telegram app. Trusting the information, the victim transferred a total of ₹43.32 lakh in phases between September 26 and October 23. 

However, when he attempted to withdraw his funds, he was informed that he needed to pay a 25 percent commission. Realizing he had been duped, the victim promptly filed a complaint with the authorities.

Mangaluru: In a chilling incident that has raised suspicions of foul play, a 35-year-old man was discovered dead inside a train coach traveling from Bengaluru to Murudeshwar. 

The deceased, identified as Mouzzan from Kumbarpete, Doddaballapur, worked as a sales representative and was differently-abled. He boarded the train on October 24 from Yesvantpur and occupied the Divyang Coach.

The incident came to light on the morning of October 25 at Udupi, where a railway guard found Mouzzan unresponsive. The railway police immediately rushed him to the hospital, but doctors declared him dead. 

With no identification documents on him, the police utilized a label, “RS Tailor Chickpete,” found on his shirt collar to trace his family through WhatsApp, helping his relatives reach Mulki by Saturday.

Upon inspection, police noticed ligature marks around Mouzzan’s neck, hinting at possible foul play. His family reported that his bag and mobile phone were missing, raising further suspicion. 

The last known location of his phone was traced to Sakleshpur, suggesting he may have been targeted during the journey. Investigators suspect robbery as a motive and are now actively pursuing leads, with searches underway in Mysuru and Bengaluru.

A case has been filed at Mulki police station, and efforts to uncover the truth behind this tragic incident are intensifying as police work to piece together the circumstances that led to Mouzzan’s untimely death.