Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Pratap Simha’s brother Vikram Simha was arrested on Saturday for allegedly chopping over 120 trees without permission. According to reports, Simha was also accused of smuggling wood in a village in the Hassan district of Karnataka.
Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre confirmed Vikram Simha’s arrest and said authorities held him for illegally cutting 126 trees and selling the wood in the Hassan district.
“They have cut down nearly 126 big trees which were as old as 50 to 60 years. This is a criminal act. (The) Forest Conservation Act is there, (the) Tree Conservation Act is there, he has violated all of these…,” Eshwar Khandre was quoted as saying.
