Hubballi/Mysuru: Thursday's latihicharge of farmers in Bengaluru saw several taluks of Dharwad, Gadag and Bagalkot districts shut down in protest on Friday. Processions were taken out in several towns condemning police action with farmers shouting slogans against the government and setting fire to tyres in the streets.
Some farmers blocked National Highway 218 near Hubballi, Navalgund and Naragund with bushes and electric poles.
As thousands of farmers converged on these towns in their bullock carts, the seers leading the processions lambasted the MLAs from the region for not standing up for their cause.
Shops, commercial establishments, banks, schools and colleges remained closed in response to the bandh, badly inconveniencing devotees going on pilgrimage to the Yallamma temple in Saundatti taluk of Belagavi district.
“Bandhs and protests were held in nine taluks against the lathicharge of farmers in Bengaluru. We have been agitating for water from the Mahadayi river for the last eight months and this was our way of expressing solidarity with the farmers of Kolar and Chikkaballapur who are facing a severe water shortage as well. The farming community needs to unite to wage a battle against the lethargic attitude of our elected representatives," said Mr Parashuram Jambagi, vice-president of the Mahadayi, Kalasa-Banduri Horata Samanvaya Samiti.
Farmers block B’luru-Mysuru highway
Farmers staged a protest along with Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party members on Friday, condemning the lathicharge on agitating farmers in Bengaluru on Thursday.
They launched a rasta roko and blocked the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway for some time. However, their agitattion did not disrupt traffic on the busy highway.
The protesters warned that if the state government does not listen to their grievances and continues to ignore them, problems would arise in future. They urged the state government to initiate action against police officials who ordered the lathicharge on farmers.
