Farmers held for attempting stir near Karnataka CM’s house

MYSURU: On Thursday, a group of sugarcane farmers attempted to organize a protest outside Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s residence, seeking a revision in sugarcane prices and the swift settlement of payment arrears owed by sugar factories. However, the protesters were subsequently arrested.

Additional police personnel were deployed along the routes leading to the CM’s residence, where the farmers were apprehended as they planned to demonstrate against the alleged government indifference. Tensions between the farmers and the police also resulted in some altercations.

The police offered no specific explanation for the arrests, characterizing them as a precautionary measure. Kurbur Shanthakumar, president of the Sugarcane Growers Association, accused Siddaramaiah of failing to secure justice for cane growers associated with sugar factories in the Varuna constituency. He questioned why the CM had not taken more significant action when sugar factories in the rest of the state had already paid revised prices, while Mysuru farmers who sought the same were being detained.

Shanthakumar highlighted that the farmers had not received the additional Rs 150 per tonne promised by the government the previous year and were now demanding Rs 3,580 per tonne for sugarcane. The protesting farmers also criticized the government’s perceived double standards, noting that it provided 24-hour power supply to many industries but couldn’t fulfill its promise of five hours of power for irrigation pump sets. They demanded an additional 10 hours of power for farmers. Furthermore, they accused the government of not initiating relief efforts, such as compensation payments, the provision of drinking water, and fodder for cattle, in the 220 taluks declared as drought-hit.