Indian police file case over five-day road protest against Bidadi township

Police in Bidadi, Karnataka, have registered a first information report against protesters accused of staging an unauthorised demonstration and blocking traffic near Byramangala in opposition to the Bidadi Township project. The case followed a complaint by Devaraj, a police sub-inspector. The protesters have been booked under Sections 126(2), 54 and 190 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to wrongful restraint, abetment and unlawful assembly, according to the report.

The complaint names Girish, Chetan, Chandrashekar, Shivrudrappa, Veeresh, Puttaswamy, Bhairappa, Krishnappa, Nagaraju, Jayamma, Jayalakshmi, Shwetha, Bhagya and Netha, along with others. Police said the demonstration took place at Bairamangal Circle without the required permission. According to the complaint, protesters placed chairs on the road, sat or lay on the carriageway, and parked tractors and bullock carts across it.

They allegedly tied cattle to the road and encouraged additional women and members of the public to join the protest. Police said the protest began around 10 a.m. on September 21 and continued through September 25.

The Bidadi-Harohalli road is part of State Highway 265 and passes through an industrial area. Investigators said the blockade inconvenienced motorists, schoolchildren, employees and goods transport vehicles. Chief Minister D.K.

Shivakumar said blocking the road caused public inconvenience, while maintaining that people would not be forced to give up their land. Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy questioned why police action had been taken only after five days, saying farmers had been on hunger strike at the site.

Police said their investigation would establish the roles of those named and clarify the circumstances of the disruption. They said further legal action would depend on the findings.