BENGALURU: Bidadi police registered a suo motu FIR against a group of farmers, including women, who were on hunger strike and protesting against the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT) project by blocking the Bidadi-Harohalli Main Road.
The FIR was registered for allegedly blocking the road without permission, obstructing the movement of public vehicles and causing inconvenience to the public.
According to the complaint filed on September 25 by PSI Devaraja, attached to Bidadi police station, the government is in the process of acquiring agricultural land in villages falling under Byramangala and Kanchugaranahalli Gram Panchayat limits of Bidadi hobli for the proposed GBIT.
Farmers have been staging an indefinite protest against the project at Byramangala Circle for around 18 months. The government had stated that a high-level committee headed by a retired judge would be constituted, and a report obtained. However, no report has been submitted so far.
The farmers also alleged that they have not received any information from the government through the Greater Bengaluru Development Authority (GBDA) office.
Demanding that the alleged irregularities at the GBDA office be stopped, and seeking the fulfilment of various other demands, the farmers organised a massive protest and indefinite hunger strike at Byramangala Circle from September 21.
The protesters allegedly blocked the Bidadi-Harohalli Main Road without permission, placed chairs on the road and sat there, while some protesters lay on the road. They also allegedly parked tractors and bullock carts across the road, and tied cattle.
The protest, which began at 10am on September 21, continued till September 25.
Bidadi protesters booked
Police said the road is a major route on State Highway 265 and passes through an industrial area. By blocking the road at Byramangala Circle, the protesters caused inconvenience to the public, schoolchildren, employees and goods vehicles.
They also allegedly encouraged women and the public to participate in the protest. Police booked the protesters under Sections 126 (wrongful restraint), 54 (abettor present when offence is committed) and 190 (unlawful assembly) of the BNS.
The accused include Girish and Nagesh of Chikkabyramangala; Shwetha, Bhairappa, Chetan, Chandrashekar, Shivarudrappa and Veeresh of Hosuru; Puttaswamaiah of Kallugopahalli; Krishnappa of Kempashettidoddi; Nagaraju of Mandalahalli; Jayamma of Kodihalli; Jayalakshmi of Kanchugaranahalli; Bhagya of Mandalahallidoddi and Neetha of Bannigiri.