Overview
- Bengaluru police detained T. N. Vishu Kumar on February 10 after he cut a branch from a sandalwood tree near Devaraj Urs Circle opposite the Vidhana Soudha, seizing the machete used.
- An FIR cites Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 324(4) for mischief and 324(5) for causing damage to property, along with provisions of the Karnataka Forest Act, with further investigation underway.
- Officials say the National Highways Authority of India began clearing sandalwood trees on February 9 on four acres acquired at Haliyur for NH‑206, with work proceeding under court orders.
- The Special Land Acquisition Officer states compensation was set at ₹25,908 per tree, with a total award of ₹3.25 crore for the four acres, ₹1.08 crore disbursed, and the balance deposited with the Chikkamagaluru district court.
- The farmer rejects the valuation, saying NHAI offered about ₹1.25 crore and claiming his trees are worth over ₹100 crore, while alleging 42 trees were felled on February 9 and more than 100 branches were cut.