The Hindu : Farmers on way to Kabini reservoir lathicharged

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 16, 2002

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Farmers on way to Kabini reservoir lathicharged

By Sharath S. Srivatsa

Police caning farmers to prevent them from reaching the Kabini reservoir in Mysore on Sunday.

H.D. KOTE (Mysore Dt.) SEPT. 15. Police fired in the air and lobbed teargas shells to disperse more than 8,000 farmers from T. Narasipura at H.D. Kote Handpost today.

Over 20 police officials and hundreds of farmers were injured and scores of vehicles damaged as the farmers resorted to stone-throwing. At least five farmers received grievous injuries.

Trouble started when personnel of the Rapid Action Force and the KSRP wielded "lathis" on the farmers led by Mallesh and Kurubur Shanthakumar, before resorting to firing in the air, at the Rajendra Prasad Circle.

The farmers, who reached the spot in more than 50 lorries under police escort, led by the Mysore Police Commissioner, C. Chandrashekar, demanded that they be allowed to proceed to the Kabini Reservoir at Beechanahalli, 16 km from the handpost.

The efforts of police to bring the arrested leader of the Cauvery Hitarakshana Samithi, G. Made Gowda, to persuade the farmers to drop their agitation were not successful. Mr. Gowda and the KRRS leader, Puttanaiah, had been taken into preventive custody earlier, after they defied the provisions of Section 144 imposed in the H.D. Kote taluk.

When the farmers, raising slogans against the Karanataka Government, the Centre and the Supreme Court, started pressing forward, the KSRP personnel charged at the crowd that had gathered on the Mysore-H.D. Kote Road.

Even as police were chasing the farmers away, policemen guarding the Deputy Commissioner, Kumar G. Naik, and the KSRP Inspector-General, Shankar Bidri, were attacked and stoned by another group of farmers on the Saragur Road. While the KSRP personnel tried to disperse the farmers on Mysore Road, the RAF personnel fired teargas shells, some of which landed in a residential colony, forcing the residents out. The angry farmers, who were chased away by the RAF personnel, damaged two KSRTC buses.

Police also beat up the farmers in lorries who were awaiting directions from their leaders before arresting them. Window-panes of more than 15 lorries were damaged in police action. The vehicles of the Deputy Commissioner, the Inspector-General, KSRP, and a few other private vehicles were damaged in stone-throwing by the farmers.

Later in the evening, Mr. Gowda and Mr. Puttanaiah were released.

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