A mob of 64 activists of farmers’ organisations vandalised a seed production centre belonging to a private company at Kelageri near Kamadoda village in Ranebennur taluk of the district on Thursday.

Police arrested the protesting farmers and released them in the evening. They were demanding that the company pay them proper compensation for the crop loss they suffered, which they claimed was due to sub-standard BT cotton seeds supplied by Mahyco.

The protestors said that the government had provided them only Rs 6,000 for every hectare of crop loss.  

The staff at the centre did not agree to the demand that higher officials of the company be summoned to the spot, leading to a war of words. The farmers, belonging to the Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene, then damaged and set fire to furniture at the centre. 

They broke the window panes and computers at the centre, besides damaging the windowpanes of the firm’s vehicles parked opposite the premises. Seed packets were also set ablaze by the mob of farmers which had come from different parts of the State.

Some of the protestors also indulged in stone-throwing. Several documents were set on fire. The farmers damaged the nameplate, before vandalising the  security, accounts and quality control rooms. The compound wall of the premises was also demolished.

A police team led by the deputy superintendent of police arrived at the spot to bring the situation under control. 

Report submitted

The farmers alleged that officials of the agriculture department had submitted a report to the government after conducting a survey of the extent of crop loss. The issue had been discussed by officials at the government level, but the farmers were yet to get any relief, the protestors said. 

They demanded that the government  cancel the licence given to Monsanto company to produce genetically modified seeds. It should talk to the company officials and prevail upon them to provide compensation, they said.