Women protesters wielding brooms blocked government vehicles and prevented officials from conducting a land survey in Mandalahalli village near Bidadi on Monday, as hundreds of farmers intensified their opposition to the proposed Bidadi township project.
Women wearing green shawls associated with Karnataka's farmers' movement struck the vehicle with brooms while police formed a protective cordon around officials of the Joint Measurement Committee (JMC), who had arrived to survey land in villages under the Byramangala and Kanchugaranahalli gram panchayat limits.
The standoff continued for several hours, with farmers refusing to allow the survey unless officials produced written authorisation from the Deputy Commissioner.
The survey team eventually remained stranded amid the protest as demonstrators gheraoed the vehicle and raised slogans against the land acquisition process.
The protest came just two days after Congress Magadi MLA HC Balakrishna reportedly assured farmer leaders that, on the directions of Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister would be convened to decide the future of the proposed township.
Farmers alleged that the government had reneged on that assurance by sending survey officials under heavy police protection before the promised meeting could take place.
Watch our ground report on why farmers in Bidadi are protesting
Yashavantha T, State General Secretary of the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) demanded that the government immediately withdraw the survey team and police personnel, convene the promised meeting under the Chief Minister's leadership, and hear the concerns of farmers seeking to protect their fertile, irrigated, multi-crop agricultural land.
The KPRS warned that it would intensify the agitation and mobilise farmers across Karnataka if the survey continued. Yashavantha also alleged that police assaulted Krishnappa, a farmer from Kempashettidoddi village, leaving him seriously injured during the protest.
Videos from the protest showed demonstrators striking an official vehicle with brooms and sticks as police attempted to prevent further damage. Visuals from the ground also showed an elderly farmer falling to the ground during the confrontation.
Reacting to the developments, JD(S) leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy accused the Congress government of acting in a "dictatorial" manner by conducting the survey without informing or obtaining the consent of farmers.
"I strongly condemn the State government's dictatorial move to conduct a JMC survey for the Bidadi Township project without prior information to or consent from farmers," he posted on X.
Calling the government "anti-farmer", Nikhil alleged that it was using brute force to push the project through, demanded the immediate release of detained farmers, and urged the government to scrap the township proposal.
Monday's protest is the latest in a prolonged agitation by farmers, who have been opposing the proposed township for more than 450 days, saying it would destroy fertile agricultural land and displace farming communities.
The proposed Rs 18,000-crore Bidadi Township has emerged as a major political flashpoint in Karnataka. The Congress government says the project is necessary to decongest Bengaluru and accommodate future urban growth, while the BJP and JD(S) have criticised it as a threat to fertile agricultural land and farmers' livelihoods.
The project is proposed to span 9,600-acre acres, with the recent notification marking the first phase of land acquisition. The Greater Bengaluru Development Authority (GBDA) has also floated a Rs 26-crore tender to appoint a consultant to prepare the master plan, Detailed Project Report (DPR), and provide project management services for the proposed Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT).
Even as protests continue, the state government has begun disbursing compensation to landowners willing to part with their land. Compensation has been fixed at Rs 2.30 crore per acre, with additional payments based on the crops grown on the acquired land.