Farmers under the banner of the Karnataka State Farmers’ Association, Anekal Taluk Anti-Land Acquisition Struggle Committee, and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) staged a protest in Chandapura on Thursday, condemning the arrest of farmers participating in the ‘Devanahalli Chalo’ agitation.
Speaking at the protest, CITU Taluk President P. Suresh warned that farmers are the backbone of the nation, yet the government’s action of arresting farmers to suppress their protest is unacceptable. He demanded the immediate release of all arrested farmers and cautioned that the agitation would intensify if the demands were not met.
The farmers have been protesting against the acquisition of fertile agricultural land. They stressed that their genuine demands must be fulfilled and that the government should withdraw the land acquisition notification immediately.
The protesters alleged that the state government is anti-farmer and is working against their interests by cracking down on peaceful protests. They condemned the practice of handing over farmers’ land to corporate investors, calling it a dangerous trend. They also accused the police of inhuman treatment of farmers, saying such repression has no place in a democracy.
They demanded that the government abandon all forced land acquisition processes.
Among those present were DHS District Secretary D. Mahadesh, Anti-Land Acquisition Struggle Committee leaders Chandrreddy and Venkatesh Reddy, Taluk Farmers’ Association Secretary Balaraju, and CITU General Secretary Sunil.