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Dalits Farm and Forest Labour

Karnataka Bandh: Farmers arrested while protesting changes in APMC, Land Reforms Acts

Following the week after nationwide protests against the three anti-farmer Bills of the Centre, Karnataka’s farmers declared a bandh from 6 AM to 6 PM.

Protesting recent policies passed by Karnataka government, farmers, workers, Dalits, came together on September 28 to observe a 12-hour state-wide bandh.

The call for “Karnataka Bandh” by various marginalised organisations of the state was answered by farmers from urban and rural areas alike as they went out on the streets and demanded support from public citizens.

According to reports, Congress and JD(S) workers were detained while denouncing the amendments to the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act and land reforms acts made by the B S Yediyurappa government. 

 

Protesters agitated against two important amendments to the Karnataka Land Reforms Act and the Agriculture Produce Market Committee Act that were passed by the state government despite strong objections.

Marginal farmers particularly object to the land reforms amendment that plans to open the sale of agricultural land to individual owners instead of restricting buying and selling to farmers.

Similarly, the APMC amendment connects private buyers directly to farmers who would struggle to bargain with the big corporations.

 

The state government had previously asked protesters not to observe the bandh under the assurance that farmers would not suffer due to the new laws. However, farmers along with workers and Dalits protested nonetheless with mass sit-ins in various parts of Bengaluru.

 

Farmers gathered in large numbers outside Bengaluru’s Town Hall sloganeering for the repeal of amendments made to state agriculture laws. Protesters planned to march from there to Freedom Park via the Mysore Bank Circle.

 

Farmers were also arrested at Mysuru Palace for trying to obstruct state transport buses.

 

In the spirit of the state-wide rasta roko, protesters staged a sit-in on a road in Hubli and appealed to locals by offering flowers to shopkeepers. Meanwhile, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and other organisations held a bike rally in Hassan.

 

In rural areas, farmers took out bullock cart rallies.

 

Certain pro-Kannada organisations were reported to have barged into Bengaluru International Airport as well while in the afternoon, news reports stated that even auto drivers had joined the agitation.

 

While Karnataka agitated against the state-injustice, other states like Tamil Nadu and Punjab observed their own protests to continue their agitations against the three farm Bills.

 

 

Related:

Karnataka Bandh against ‘anti-farmer, anti-worker and anti-Dalit-oppressed’ policies
Highlights of National Protest Day
Freedom Park: Where the marginalised unite
Reduce essential service cost, unburden the poor: Swaraj India

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