Leaders of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha from Delhi, who led the protests against the Union government’s now-repealed farm laws, on Thursday, July 3, extended solidarity with the Devanahalli farmers protesting land acquisition in Devanahalli.
Farmers from 13 villages in Devanahalli taluk who are protesting against the acquisition of their land launched a hunger strike on July 2 at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park, demanding that the state government cancel its plan to acquire 1,777 acres of fertile land for a defence and aerospace project.
Led by Samyukta Horata Karnataka—a coalition of farmers’, workers’, Dalit, and women’s organisations—the hunger strike was launched to exert pressure on the government, which held a cabinet meeting the same day. However, Samyukta Horata has announced that the protest at Freedom Park will continue at least until their meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday, July 4.
Farmers leaders from north India such as Rakesh Tikait of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) joined the protest in Freedom Park on Thursday.
“In many movements, farmers sit down for talks with the government, but here, the farmers have said, 'We don't need talks, we will not give up our land.' For that reason, this is a very special struggle. Farmers and activists across the country are with them. If the government wants to do business, let them do it elsewhere."
He said that the Devanahalli struggle was already on the agenda at SKM meetings in Delhi. Referring to the meeting with the CM on July 4, Rakesh said, “If the meeting tomorrow does not conclude with a good decision, we will include it in future discussions. SKM will stand with whatever decision the farmers and organizations here make,” he said.
Ahead of last year’s elections, Siddaramaiah had met the protesting farmers and promised to scrap the land acquisition if he came to power. Now, activists have pointed out that his government has defaulted on that promise, leaving farmers vulnerable to unemployment and homelessness.
Beyond the immediate impact on affected families, the plan would also violate existing legal and procedural frameworks. Under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, development projects must obtain consent from at least 70% of affected landowners before proceeding.
However, according to scholars, the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board’s (KIADB) own survey in 2022 found that 80% of landowners were opposed to the acquisition. Additionally, for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe landowners, the plan would violate the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prohibition of Transfer of Certain Lands) Act by taking away land that had been granted to them.
In an open letter signed by 30 writers and scholars, activists called on Karnataka’s industry leaders to support a development paradigm that is “more balanced,” comparing the current scheme to “biting the hand that feeds.”
“Growth must not erase those who sustain it. Your leadership matters — let it stand for conscience, equity, and a just future. We also ask that you protect food security by opposing the diversion of fertile arable land to industrial use and by insisting that industrial corridors be confined to non-arable land unfit for farming,” the letter stated.
Activists also pointed out that the land is vital to Bengaluru’s food security, supplying between 7-8 million tonnes of produce to the city annually.
Meanwhile, similar tensions reached Delhi on July 1, as BJP MPs walked out of a parliamentary committee when they saw activists Medha Patkar and actor Prakash Raj, who had come to speak in support of the farmers. The committee was set up to review and discuss the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, but ended abruptly after MPs boycotted the meeting, calling Patkar and Raj “anti-nationals” and “urban Naxals.”