Ahead of the by election for the Bellary Rural assembly constituency in Karnataka where the jailed mining mafia don Mr Gali Janardhan reddy’s close friend and former Minister Mr Sriramulu is contesting as an independent,  some 200 locals laid a siege to Gali’s land at the TB Sanatorium in Bellary on Wednesday and claimed the land was theirs.

Gali was building a palace-like enclave on the land in the name of his parents Rukmini and Chengareddy.

The locals alleged that Gali and his brothers had forcefully occupied their land and didn’t pay them proper compensation. “They forged the documents and grabbed our land and our complaints were thrown into the dustbins,” they alleged. They said even lawyers also didn’t come forward to argue their cases in the courts.

One person by name Erriswamy told journalists that the land was gifted by the British to the grandfather of former Tollywood heroine Ramya Krishna Mr BBL Narayana Rao who sold it to Mr M. Bala Krishna later.

“PD Wilson bought the land from him and from Wilson I bought it,” said Erriswamy alleging it was grabbed by Gali brothers.

He and others said they went from pillar to post requesting everyone to ensure that their lands were returned to them but their repeated appeals fell on deaf ears.

The victims are now making a fresh attempt to get their lands back since Gali is jailed in the illegal mining case.