Chief Minister Siddaramaiah meeting the farmers, activists, and local leaders from Channarayapatna, Devanahalli at the Vidhana Soudha conference hall in Bengaluru on Friday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The wait for the Devanahalli farmers, who have been protesting for the last 1,187 days seeking shelving of the process of acquisition of their lands for the proposed Aerospace Park, continues as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah sought another 10 days’ time to examine legal issues concerned. The Chief Minister held a meeting with the representatives of the farmers here on Friday.
Pointing out that the final notification too had been issued for the acquisition of land in April, the Chief Minister told farmers’ representatives that the government would need time to examine the pros and cons of their demands. He informed the representatives that he would hold the next meeting with them on July 15. Legal experts had flagged some obstacles related to denotifying the land, the Chief Minister said.
Warning to CM
Though the farmer leaders agreed, they insisted that the government should announce the denotification of their lands during the next meeting. They warned of intensifying their agitation along with the support of Samyukta Kisan Morcha if their demand was not met.
The farmers of Channarayapatna hobli of Devanahalli taluk have been demanding that the notification on acquisition of 1,777 acres of land in 13 villages of the taluk be shelved. The Chief Minister, who had made a pre-poll promise of shelving the land acquisition, had agreed to meet their leaders as their protest became broad-based after various progressive organisations lent their support to them and began a representational dharna at Freedom Park of Bengaluru from June 27.
Meanwhile, the Struggle Committee, comprising the farmers and activists, announced that the protest would continue till the next meeting with the Chief Minister. While the protest at Freedom Park would be shifted to Channarayapatna of Devanahalli taluk, the activists would hold awareness meetings with farmers at all the 13 villages of the taluk from which the lands are set to be acquired. Additionally, the demand for shelving the land acquisition process would become part of the nationwide agitation of workers on July 9, the activists said.
‘Gift’ from farmers
About 25 representatives of protesting farmers including farmers’ leaders Badagalapura Nagendra, Chukki Nanjundaswamy, prominent leaders from the 13 villages and activists Mavalli Shankar and Indhudhara Honnapura were among those who met the Chief Minister. In a bid to drive home a message that the best varieties of fruits, vegetables and flowers are grown on their fertile lands, they carried samples of their crops including mangoes, flowers and vegetables to the Chief Minister as a gift.
Meanwhile, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha leaders, including Rakesh Tikait, addressed a State-level convention in support of the protesting farmers.
Farmer dies of heart attack
A farmer who had come to Bengaluru to participate in the protest at Freedom Park against land acquisition in Devanahalli taluk, collapsed and died of a heart attack in the Majestic area of Bengaluru shortly after he deboarded a train from Mysuru on Friday morning.
The deceased, identified as, Eshwarappa, 50, was a resident of Kurubarahundi village, Gundlupet taluk, Chamarajanagar district. Shortly after he got down at Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Bengaluru Railway Station, he reportedly collapsed at Sangolli Rayanna Circle by the roadside while he was walking to Freedom Park. Though he was immediately rushed to a nearby private hospital, he died later.
Published – July 04, 2025 10:29 pm IST
