Lokayukta raid: Kannada lit books worth Rs 2.5 lakh stumble out from RFO's farmhouse

Hubballi: Every time the Lokayukta conducts raids on the alleged corrupt officials, they unearth bundles of cash and precious items from unimaginable places.

There have been instances where cash was stashed inside drainage pipes, toilets and bathrooms, beds, and other places. They have also recovered expensive cars, cigarettes, antique items, and other rare collectibles from officials. However, on Monday when the Lokayukta officials raided the farmhouse of Parameshwar Pelanavar, the range forest officer of Hirekerur in Haveri district, they were in for a surprise.

They found a cupboard full of brand-new books on Kannada literature. Officials estimate the total value of these books to be more than Rs 2.5 lakh.

Of the 1,000 plus books kept at his luxury farmhouse, 90 per cent of them were books written by Da Ra Bendre, Kuvempu, U R Ananthamurthy, S L Bhyrappa and other noted litterateurs. The remaining books were related to mental and physical health, personality development, managing relationships, and motivation books.

“I am an avid reader of Kannada literature. I have been collecting these books for my personal library for many years and have all the important Kannada literary books,” said Parameshwar. He defends himself by claiming that he does not own disproportionate assets.

“I am planning to take voluntary retirement from service as I cannot change the system in my department. After my retirement, I want to immerse myself completely in studying literature,” he said.

Parameshwar has worked as a forester in Joida, Dandeli, Karwar and Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district before shifting to Haveri few years ago.

Apart from these books, the Lokayukta officials have also seized two foreign-breed dogs and imported liquor.

Lokayukta Dy SP Chandrashekar B S said Parameshwar’s luxurious farmhouse has everything for a man to relax and enjoy life. “We too were surprised when we saw such a large collection of books at the farmhouse. Bendre, Kuvempu’s books were sitting next to imported whisky. That was the irony,” he said.