Karnataka Farmers Allege Police Brutality Amid Land Acquisition Dispute; Protest Intensifies Ahead of CM Meeting
ಕುಡಿತಿನಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ರೈತ-ಪೊಲೀಸ್ ಘರ್ಷಣೆ: ಜಿಂದಾಲ್ಗೆ ಭೂಮಿ ಹಸ್ತಾಂತರಕ್ಕೆ ಆಕ್ಷೇಪ; ಮಹಿಳಾ ಸೇರಿ ನೂರಾರು ಪ್ರತಿಭಟನಾಕಾರರ ಮೇಲೆ ಲಾಠಿ ಚಾರ್ಜ್ ಆರೋಪ
Bengaluru, March 12: Tensions have escalated in the Kuditini region, where a prolonged farmers’ agitation against land acquisition took a violent turn after authorities allegedly attempted to facilitate a corporate entry into disputed land, leading to clashes with protesters. The Akhila Bharatha Janavadi Mahila Sanghatane (ABJMS) has strongly condemned the incident, accusing the district administration of collusion with corporate interests and of unleashing “brutality” on peaceful protesters, including dozens of women.
At the heart of the conflict is a massive land acquisition of approximately 13,000 acres, originally seized years ago for ArcelorMittal but never adequately compensated for, according to farmers. The current flashpoint involves 204 acres within this tract, which the administration now reportedly intends to transfer to Jindal’s JFE Electric for an industrial project. Farmers, organized under a joint committee of various farmer, worker, and Kannada outfits, have been protesting at the site for 1,180 days.
The situation deteriorated when Jindal company officials recently arrived at the site, ostensibly for a soil test. Protesters objected, pointing to an assurance from the Deputy Commissioner to maintain the status quo until a scheduled meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on April 4. Despite this, the farmers allege that local police used force to clear a path for the company representatives.
“The administration is trying to bulldoze our constitutional right to protest,” said Chandrakumari, President of the ABJMS. “They have the CM’s assurance of a meeting, yet they used brute force against our farmers. In this incident alone, 27 women were among the hundreds who faced police brutality. We condemn this undemocratic crackdown in the strongest possible terms.”
The ABJMS has alleged that the acquisition is a blatant example of prioritizing corporate greed over the livelihood of farmers. The organization points out that the land was taken at rates they deem unfairly low, and the current transfer is part of a pattern of dispossession under the guise of industrial development.
“The move to destroy the lives of farmers who feed the nation, just to hand over their land to real-estate hungry corporations, is unacceptable under any circumstance,” stated Devi, General Secretary of the ABJMS. “The state government must realize that you cannot resolve a farmer’s distress with a lathi. We urge the Chief Minister to intervene personally, consider our just demands positively, and instruct the administration to maintain peace until our dialogue.”
With the April 4 meeting now under a cloud of distrust, the farmers’ joint action committee has vowed to continue their struggle, demanding a halt to all corporate activity on the disputed land and a fair, transparent resolution to the long-pending compensation issue.
