Development Board (KIADB), demanding the withdrawal of its final notification to acquire agricultural land. Under the banner Our Land, Our Right, hundreds of farmers marched through Anekal town before laying siege to the taluk office.
The dispute centers on nearly 2,500 acres of farmland in Handenahalli, Muthanallur, and Yamare panchayats, which farmers allege have been targeted for unscientific acquisition. Despite heavy rain and wind, many have been staging a sit-in for 41 consecutive days in front of the Muthanallur Gram Panchayat office, opposing the move.
Over the past weeks, farmers have organized demonstrations at Freedom Park, held a massive rally in Sarjapur, conducted bike processions, and submitted appeals to district ministers, the revenue minister, the deputy chief minister, and the chief minister. However, their efforts failed to prevent the KIADB from issuing the final acquisition order, prompting today’s siege.
Support poured in from various organizations, including women’s groups, who joined the march and defied police barricades to gather at the taluk office gates. Security was tightened with several reserve police vehicles deployed, but the sheer number of protestors allowed them to press forward. Leaders of the supporting organizations later addressed the crowd, vowing to continue peaceful resistance. In a related development, tensions rose in Devanahalli, where a separate group of farmers expressed willingness to part with 449 acres for acquisition. This move angered anti-acquisition activists, who insist that farmers need security and sustainable livelihoods, not monetary compensation.
