Assault case against activist who took Siddaramaiah to court in Muda case

A woman in Karnataka's Mysuru district accused RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna and three others of assault and harassment over a property dispute. A case was lodged based on her complaint.

In Short

• FIR against Snehamayi Krishna and three others in Nanjangud
• Allegations against Krishna of assaulting, threatening woman
• Krishna denies allegations, claims false case to silence his voice

Activist Snehamayi Krishna, one of the complainants in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land allotment scam, has been named as an accused in a case of assault and harassment in Karnataka.

The complainant, Lavanya, alleged that Krishna, along with three others, attempted to assault her, dragged her, used obscene language, and threatened to kill her. The incident reportedly occurred on July 18 while Lavanya and her mother were returning from court.

Lavanya claimed the harassment was related to a property dispute involving her late husband's family and the distribution of death beneficiary money and her jewellery. She alleged that Krishna was acting on behalf of her in-laws. Lavanya's husband passed away from a heart attack in 2020.

An FIR was registered on August 21, 2024, at the Nanjangud Police Station in Mysuru district on charges of cruelty, wrongful restraint, assault, intentional insult, criminal intimidation, and joint criminal liability. Besides Krishna, there are three others accused in the case – Prabha, Siddappa and Daba Jayakumar.

Krishna has denied the allegations against him and claimed that the case is a fabricated attempt to suppress his activism.

"There are over 23 cases filed against me, most of which are false complaints. In 8 cases, I have been proven innocent in court, and in 9 others, police investigations have shown that the complaints were false. These false cases are being filed to suppress my fight, but I won’t hesitate – I will continue," he said.

Krishna said there was evidence that he was not present in Nanjangud when the alleged incident took place. He also expressed suspicion about the complainant's motives, suggesting that she might be involved in the death of her husband, and accused the police of negligence in investigating the case.

A prominent RTI activist, Snehamayi Krishna is known for petitioning the Karnataka High Court for a CBI investigation against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the high-profile MUDA corruption case. He has also filed a complaint with the Enforcement Directorate in the case.

The MUDA case brought to light allegations of land misuse and irregularities, and Krishna’s complaint had made headlines for targeting the sitting Chief Minister. Lokayukta police have already registered an FIR against Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi BM, and two others based on Krishna’s complaint.