BENGALURU: A land survey for the proposed Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT), also known as Bidadi Township project, at Mandalahalli in Bidadi turned violent after farmers attacked surveyors with broomsticks and heckled them on Monday. Three policemen and a farmer were injured and a few vehicles were damaged in the incident.
The survey was initiated after the government issued a land acquisition notification for the project recently. But local farmers claimed they had not given their consent for their land to be acquired and objected to the survey being conducted on their farms without any information. They demanded an authorisation letter from the deputy commissioner’s office.
Mandalahalli Nagaraj, a farmer, said the situation turned violent when some surveyors, accompanied by police, began the land survey. “Women and youngsters had come to the spot with a broom for a symbolic protest, but seeing the surveyors conducting a survey, they hit some of them with broomsticks,” he said.
As protesters started throwing stones, some vehicles were damaged. Joining the protesting farmers, Yashavantha T, State General Secretary, Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha, said the state government, especially CM DK Shivakumar, should be directly responsible for Monday’s conflict.
“The government had created fake documents and kept repeating that over 80% of farmers had agreed to give up their land. The government should clarify why such a big police force was needed if 80% of farmers had agreed to the project. The CMO is being misused to run the real estate business,” Yashavantha said.
An FIR was registered against a group of farmers on charges of assault, criminal intimidation and obstructing public servants from discharging duties.
“Three police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police and a police inspector, sustained injuries, and two vehicles were damaged. We have initiated an inquiry and action will be taken against those involved in the attack,” Superintendent of Police, Bengaluru South District, Srinivas Gowda, said.He said the police tried to convince the protesters, but they did not agree. “The survey was being done on the land of farmers who had given their approval for the project. There was no provocation or wrongdoing on the part of the police,” he said.
MAINTAIN PEACE, HDK URGES FARMERS
After farmers’ protest against the township development project at Bidadi near Bengaluru turned violent, Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries HD Kumaraswamy appealed to the farmers to maintain peace and not to give scope for any untoward incidents.
In a video message, the former CM and Mandya MP said that farmers have been peacefully protesting against the project for 500 days, and that untoward incidents took place on Monday when officials suddenly visited the villages to conduct a survey.
He appealed to the farmers to continue their protest peacefully, and many people are willing to join them in a peaceful struggle within the legal ambit. He warned the police not to come under the State Government’s pressure to act against the farmers. JDS leader Nikhil Kumar-aswamy slammed gover-nment for conducting survey without farmers’ consent.
