'They were drunkards, not farmers'

 
Deposing before the Justice Kedambady Jagannath Shetty Commission, appointed to probe into the police firing in Haveri on June 10 last year, he said that those involved in violent acts over scarcity of fertilisers were not farmers.

Many of them were not residents of Haveri and were drunk at that time. The miscreants had locked the police van from outside. The police had no choice but to open fire to save their lives. “If the police had not opened fire at least 20 policemen would have been killed in the incident,” he said.

Olekar said that there was no reason for farmers to stage protest over shortage of fertilisers. The dealers had assured the farmers that they would provide them fertiliser as and when they get the supply.