Karnataka Officials Clash Over HMT Land Dispute

A series of violent incidents in India have raised concerns about property disputes and political tensions. In Shamli, a retired banker, Vinod Gupta, was allegedly murdered by his son during a property argument, while BJP leader Ajay Kumar was shot dead in Patna, possibly linked to land disputes. In another case, a woman in Vaishali was hacked to death, with police suspecting a property-related motive. Concurrently, a political tussle has emerged in Karnataka over the reclamation of land from Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) Limited, where Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy accused Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre of 'vendetta politics' for claiming the land was forested. Kumaraswamy insists the land was legally acquired for HMT decades ago, while Khandre seeks to recover it based on environmental regulations. This confrontation highlights ongoing issues regarding public sector undertakings and land ownership in the region.