Jayant Tinekar, who claims to have exposed the stamp paper scam that rocked the state 20 years ago, was injured after he was allegedly beaten up by unidentified people in Jhad Shahapur village, near Belagavi, on Friday.
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He has been admitted to a hospital and is recovering.
A group of four or five persons waylaid him while has driving to Belagavi from Khanapur. He was forced out of his car and beaten up. He told the police that the attackers were wearing masks. They hit him with rods, leading to serious injuries on his legs and hands, Mr. Tinekar said in his complaint.
Mr. Tinekar claims he was the whistleblower in the stamp paper scam case in 2001. In the late 1990s, he wrote to the Lokayukta, the State Government and the Central Government complaining against the alleged involvement of Abdul Karim Telgi, a native of Khanapur near Belagavi, in the scam. The Bengaluru police arrested the accused and a detailed investigation by STAMPIT followed, leading to the arrest of nearly 400 persons and recovery of valuable immovable property.
Mr. Tinekar had expressed his displeasure over getting an award for revealing some vital information that led to the uncovering of the scam. He was also upset at the State Government for withdrawing the police protection given to him, a few years ago.