A 55-year-old farmer, facing the loss of three acres of land to an industrial project at Channarayapatna in Devanahalli, allegedly consumed poison on Thursday during a protest against land acquisition. The farmer, identified as Venkatesh, was undergoing treatment at Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru.
The protest, led by a group of farmers whose lands have been notified for acquisition under the third phase of an industrial project by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB), has been ongoing for over 1,000 days.
The KIADB has notified 1,777 acres for acquisition. Since the notification was issued, farmers have been staging an indefinite sit-in, opposing the project.
During the last Assembly elections, the protestors threatened to boycott the polls, prompting the government to promise to cancel the project, but it remained unfulfilled.
On Thursday morning, when the farmers left the protest site intending to meet the district in-charge Minister K.H. Muniyappa at his residence in Sanjay Nagar, police intercepted and stopped two buses transporting over 100 farmers.
Farmer leader Anjaneya Reddy, speaking to The Hindu, said that upon being stopped, the farmers disembarked and began a dharna near the police station. It was during this protest that Mr. Venkatesh, a long-time participant in the agitation, allegedly consumed poison. He was rushed to the hospital. “Mr. Venkatesh is now out of danger but will remain under observation for the next two days,” Mr. Reddy added.
No case has been registered in connection with the incident so far.
Published – April 11, 2025 12:16 am IST
