Ramanagara (Karnataka), Jul 13 (PTI) A group of women on Monday chased away government officials who had arrived with a posse of policemen to survey land for the proposed AI-powered integrated township at Bidadi in Ramanagara district, wielding brooms to stop them from entering the village.
With the government insisting on executing the project near Bengaluru, the officers reached the location to conduct the survey.
However, they were unaware of the ground situation, where anger had been simmering against the government’s decision.
As they went to Mandagahalli, a village falling under the Byramangala land acquisition area, local farmers fiercely opposed the officials’ visit.
A large group of farmers, including women and children, gathered to block the village roads and prevent the officials from entering.
When the officials attempted to enter under police protection, the women confronted them with brooms, forcing them to retreat amid chaotic and tense scenes.
A few police officers sustained injuries in the melee.
Ahead of the visit, the police made multiple attempts to negotiate with the protesting farmers to restore order, but all conciliation efforts failed, sources said.
The determined villagers continued to block the roads, staging an intense protest and shouting slogans that they would not allow the officials inside their village under any circumstances.
The officers had to retreat in the face of the fierce opposition.
Union Minister of Steel and Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy slammed the state government for its alleged high-handedness.
In a video statement, he claimed that farmers in Bidadi had been protesting against the proposed township for the past 500 days.
The women of the area and several senior citizens had been extending continuous and peaceful support to the farmers’ agitation, he added.
Kumaraswamy said that whatever untoward incidents took place when government officials suddenly arrived to conduct the survey were entirely the responsibility of the government.
Appealing to the people to continue their peaceful protest, he assured the agitators that many were ready to fight within the framework of the law to secure justice for their cause.
He also cautioned the government against using force to achieve its goal.
“There should be no government high-handedness or misuse of power against the peaceful agitation. I want to issue a warning to the police department. The government is committing excesses against farmers who are protesting peacefully and is attempting to misuse the police,” he added in the video message.
He warned police officers that they should under no circumstances succumb to government pressure and implement “anti-farmer policies.” Kumaraswamy’s son and JD(S) youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy termed the survey a “dictatorial move, carried out without informing or consulting the farmers.” “It is shameful that this anti-farmer government has completely failed to understand the pain of our farmers and is using brute force to implement the project at any cost,” he claimed in a statement.
Nikhil demanded the immediate release of all detained farmers and urged the government to completely scrap the Bidadi township project.
The BJP also slammed the incident.
Speaking to reporters, Ramanagara Superintendent of Police R Srinivas Gowda said, “We have taken immediate action against the local farmers and some outsiders who prevented the survey. We have registered an FIR.” “We tried to persuade the farmers who were agitating, but they did not agree to our requests. They are firm on their demands, and it is for the officers concerned to explain whether that is permissible within the framework of the law,” he added.
“The agitators interrupted government work and injured some of our staff. We have registered a case in this regard and are investigating the matter,” he said.
Speaking to reporters in Kalaburagi, party state president B Y Vijayendra claimed that Chief Minister D K Shivakumar was “ignoring the concerns of farmers and was more interested in real estate.” “The CM of this state has to face the anger of farmers. The CM should have prioritised the concerns of farmers first. He has neglected the interests of farmers and given priority to real estate,” he alleged.
He questioned the state government’s rush to push through the township project.
According to government sources, the township project involves the acquisition of 7,404 acres across nine villages in Ramanagara taluk.
The project will follow the 2013 Land Acquisition Act, assuring fair compensation despite the farmer protests.
The government will offer 9,693 sq ft of developed land per acre, or equivalent value, an officer said. PTI GMS SSK
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