BENGALURU: A former solider who was injured in Operation Blue Star at Suvarna Mandir in Amritsar in 1984, has fought and won a longer battle. After 41 years, Ilala Hullappa (65) was granted two acres of land in Koppal, but only due to the intervention of Upa Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa.
Unable to work due to injuries sustained in Operation Blue Star, Hullappa, a native of Guddada Devalapura in Kushtagi taluk, opted for retirement. He was sanctioned two acres of land at Kaatapoora village in Kushtagi taluk of Koppal district for agricultural purposes by the Deputy Commissioner of Koppal, under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964. He had applied for it in 1985, and finally got it on January 11, 2026.
Hullappa told The New Indian Express that during the bloody operation, a bullet shell opened and pierced his chest, leg and left hand. “Fortunately, I survived with pieces of shell in my chest and leg, which were removed successfully. But the one in the left hand could not be removed as my hand would have had to be amputated. Without removing it, doctors managed to retain the hand. Unable to continue work, I opted out of service after the operation.”
“In fact, when I was injured, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and then Karnataka chief minister lauded me with an appreciation letter in 1984. Attaching this letter, I submitted an application for grant of land to the Kushtagi tahsildar in 1985, in the hope that my service to the nation would be considered. However, despite repeated requests, successful governments did not allot the land.
Now, with the intervention of Upa Lokayukta Justice Veerappa, two acres were sanctioned within five months after registration of a suo motu case in August 2025,” said Hullappa.
“I am very grateful for having got the land after 40 years, and thankful to Upa Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa, who is very generous and has a good heart. He is fighting against injustice for the cause of soldiers who fought for the country,” he said.
Narrating the agony of family members of soldiers who sacrifice lives and limbs for the nation, Hullappa said it is only male family members who can run from office to office for land or a site, after the soldier is killed or injured during battle. Women members are not in a position to run from pillar to post to claim such compensation, he said. “At least I got land for my sacrifice for the nation, and can eke out a livelihood,” he added.