Tension in Mudhol after farmers' arrests

Tension prevailed in Mudhol town after more than 150 farmers who were planning to proceed to Belagavi for laying siege to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha were taken into custody by the town police on Monday.

The arrested were released later in the evening. Farmers, led by the Raitha Sangha, have been staging a dharna at Rayanna Circle here for the past 12 days, demanding a fair and remunerative price for sugar cane. The town police learnt that they were planning to lay siege to Suvarana Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi where legislature session is on. As a preventive measure, the police took 10 farmers’ leaders into custody on Sunday night and took them to Bagalkot.

On Monday morning, a large number of farmers assembled at the dharna venue and began a protest. The police took more than 150 protesters into custody and brought them to the police complex. The farmers again began a protest there too.

Meanwhile, the farmers’ leaders, who were taken to Bagalkot on Sunday night, were released by the police after they executed an undertaking. Additional police forces have been deployed in the town.