Pics: Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Sep 17: On Thursday September 16 afternoon, activists of Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha – Hasiru Sene laid siege to the taluk office here and staged a protest. They were demanding for the immediate suspension of the agricultural loan recovery procedures like attachment and auctioning of the lands belonging to farmers by banks. Their other demand was the immediate suspension of the sub-inspector of town police station here, because of his arrogant behaviour with a woman borrower. They also expressed their anger by setting fire to documents relating to the attachment of the lady’s property.

The activists also entered the taluk office, sat in dharna, and condemned the police action in registering cases against farmers who were agitating against injustices. They accused the police sub-inspector of summoning Sreemati Rai, a member of the Sangha, to the police station, showing disrespect to her and posing threats. They demanded either for the SI’s immediate suspension, or their own arrest.

Tahsildar, Dase Gowda, who had gone home for lunch, rushed to the office after learning about the protest, and held discussions with protestors. At the insistence of the protestors, the local circle inspector and sub-inspector, Ravikumar, came to the taluk office, and spoke to the protestors. They informed they were obliged to register cases against the farmers as per the court orders, and that they had not done so on their own. They also said that as per legal procedures, they had obtained a statement from Sreemati Rai, and that she was not treated disrespectfully.

Sreemati Rai, when questioned, withdrew her earlier allegation and said that she was not threatened by the policemen. She claimed that she grew panicky, as the policemen asked her to send her son to the police station. The leaders of protestors were left red-faced as a result. They later regained composure, and claimed that the protest was not against the policemen, but against the government. They asked the tahsildar to issue instructions to all the banks not to attach properties of farmers and auction them.

Sangha general secretary, Kanagal Murty, Kissan Sene central committee member, Venkatraman Bhat Gundyadka, Moodbidri zone president, Dhanakeerti Balipa, Kerala state unit president, Subbanna, and several other Sangha and Sene leaders were present.