RAMANAGARA: A tense standoff unfolded in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district on Monday when a group of women wielding brooms chased away government officials and police personnel who had arrived to survey land for a proposed AI-powered integrated township project at Bidadi.Officials reached the area to conduct a land survey as the state government continues to push ahead with the project near Bengaluru, according to news agency PTI. However, they were met with strong resistance from local residents, where opposition to the proposed land acquisition has been growing.The confrontation took place at Mandagahalli village, which falls within the Byramangala land acquisition zone. Local farmers, backed by women and children, gathered in large numbers and blocked village roads to prevent officials from entering.When officials attempted to proceed under police protection, women protesters confronted them with brooms, forcing them to retreat amid chaotic scenes. A few police personnel sustained injuries during the clash.According to news agency PTI, sources said police made several attempts to negotiate with the protesters before the visit, but efforts to restore normalcy failed. Villagers continued their blockade and raised slogans, insisting that officials would not be allowed to enter the village under any circumstances.Facing sustained opposition, the survey team eventually withdrew from the area.Reacting to the incident, union minister for Steel and Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy criticised the state government, accusing it of acting high-handedly.In a video statement, he claimed that farmers in Bidadi had been protesting against the proposed township for the past 500 days.The women of the area and several senior citizens had been extending continuous and peaceful support to the farmers’ agitation, he added.Kumaraswamy said that whatever untoward incidents took place when government officials suddenly arrived to conduct the survey were entirely the responsibility of the government.Appealing to the people to continue their peaceful protest, he assured the agitators that many were ready to fight within the framework of the law to secure justice for their cause.He also cautioned the government against using force to achieve its goal.“There should be no government high-handedness or misuse of power against the peaceful agitation. I want to issue a warning to the police department. The government is committing excesses against farmers who are protesting peacefully and is attempting to misuse the police,” he added in the video message.He warned police officers that they should under no circumstances succumb to government pressure and implement “anti-farmer policies.”His son and JD(S) youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy also criticised the survey exercise, describing it as a “dictatorial move, carried out without informing or consulting the farmers.”“It is shameful that this anti-farmer government has completely failed to understand the pain of our farmers and is using brute force to implement the project at any cost,” he claimed in a statement.Nikhil demanded the immediate release of all detained farmers and called on the government to scrap the Bidadi township project.The BJP also condemned the incident.Ramanagara Superintendent of Police R Srinivas Gowda said a case had been registered against those who obstructed the survey.“We have taken immediate action against the local farmers and some outsiders who prevented the survey. We have registered an FIR.”“We tried to persuade the farmers who were agitating, but they did not agree to our requests. They are firm on their demands, and it is for the officers concerned to explain whether that is permissible within the framework of the law,” he added.“The agitators interrupted government work and injured some of our staff. We have registered a case in this regard and are investigating the matter,” he said.Speaking in Kalaburagi, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra alleged that Chief Minister D K Shivakumar was prioritising real estate interests over farmers’ concerns.“The CM of this state has to face the anger of farmers. The CM should have prioritised the concerns of farmers first. He has neglected the interests of farmers and given priority to real estate,” he alleged.He also questioned the urgency with which the state government was pursuing the township project.According to government sources, the project proposes the acquisition of 7,404 acres spread across nine villages in Ramanagara taluk.Officials said the land acquisition process would be carried out under the provisions of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act, which provides for compensation and rehabilitation measures.The government plans to offer 9,693 square feet of developed land for every acre acquired, or its equivalent value, an officer said.
