Rooted in the soil

A young, robust peepal tree in Channarayapatna hobli, Devanahalli taluk, is a symbol of hope and strength to hundreds of farmers from 13 villages in the hobli, who have taken on the state government in their efforts to save their farmlands and livelihoods.

Since April 2022, they have been resisting Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board’s (KIADB) move to notify the acquisition of 1,777 acres of land in these 13 villages for the proposed high-tech Defence and Aerospace Park. For them, the tree is also a reminder of the assurance given by Siddaramaiah in September 2022, when he was the leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. He had interacted with the farmers at Freedom Park, standing near the peepal sapling that was planted in a pot to mark their protests in Bengaluru. During the interaction, Siddaramaiah had assured them that he would withdraw the notification if he came to power. Subsequently, they brought the plant to Channarayapatna and nourished it as a tribute to the conversation that rekindled their spirits. 

However, the promise has not been materialised yet. Instead, on Wednesday, a large number of protesting farmers were detained in the evening and released around midnight. What shocked the protesters was the violent ways of the police against a non-violent agitation. Incidentally, the same day marked the 50th anniversary of the Emergency.

In response, farmers and civil society groups from across the state expressed their solidarity with the farmers of Channarayapatna and intensified the struggle on Thursday by protesting in district and taluk centres. A delegation representing the movement met the chief minister, who assured them of holding a meeting on July 4 to take a decision. Until then, farmers and Samyukta Horata Karnataka – the joint platform of all people’s movements in the state – have announced that they will continue the protests, day and night, at Freedom Park. 

Defiance and persistence

Earlier in the day on Wednesday, farmers from the 13 villages displayed unity by mixing soil from their respective villages and planting a sapling. This act, at the farmers rally in Devanahalli, was an outright rejection of Large and Medium Industries Minister M B Patil’s offer to drop land acquisition in three of the 13 villages. The minister had also stated that the government had decided not to acquire any land from this hobli in future for industrial purposes.

The minister’s unscheduled announcement and appeal to call off the protests came a day before the commencement of the massive rally, with support from over 40 civil society and farmer organisations. 

The farmers’ demand is clear: all the villages are to be excluded from acquisition. 

In 2022, local farmers launched the campaign in a desperate bid to save their land, just a few kilometres from Kempegowda International Airport in Devanahalli. Behind its evolution into a movement of national importance lie stories of grit and determination. This is perhaps the longest-running farmer-led movement against land acquisition in the state. The three-and-a-half-year-old movement is rooted in the assertion of their right to continue agriculture. The steadfast campaign, which has used various modes of resistance — from continuous sit-in protests to hunger strikes and petitioning elected representatives to holding massive rallies — has remained peaceful and continuous.

The letter and the spirit

“We have learnt lessons from our fellow farmers around Bengaluru. They gave up land, as they were offered very high prices, but ended up losing their livelihoods. Some of them didn’t even get proper compensation due to technical reasons,” says Eramma of Channarayapatna village. 

Her family of eight owns one acre of land where they grow roses and sweetcorn. Even though two members are into gig work, farming remains the family’s mainstay. During the course of the protest, she has gathered that the government needs the consent of more than 70% of farmers in a gram panchayat to notify the land. The Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act, 2013, mandates consent from at least 70% of affected landowners for land acquisition for public-private partnerships and 80% for private companies. 

The 1,777 acres of land identified by the KIADB for the second phase of Haraluru Industrial Area, Devanahalli Taluk, belong to 1,867 titleholders. A survey commissioned by local farmers in 2022 revealed that the area of land owned by families opposing the acquisition is 1,200 acres. The area of land belonging to those who are not opposing the KIADB’s move is 155 acres. Remaining landholders are neutral. Protesting farmers say that more families have joined them over the years.

As per an open letter to the chief minister, dated June 24, by the affected people of Channarayapatna hobli, 95% of families are against the land acquisition. The letter emphasises that when the KIADB collected public opinion in 2022, 80% of landholders expressed that they did not wish to part with their land. We are confident that today, about 95% of the people will reject land acquisition, the letter states.

Farmers here are aware of the laws that can protect them. Agitating farmer Ramesh Cheemachanahalli says the government’s move is in violation of the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prohibition of Transfer of Certain Lands) Act, 1978, which prohibits the transfer of lands granted to SC and ST families. “Of the 800 affected families, 387 will become landless if the government acquires land. Of the 387, 163 are scheduled castes and scheduled tribes families. Up to 70% of them got land through grants. How can the government allow this to happen?” he questions. 

These villages have a robust agricultural ecosystem, cultivating a wide range of crops — from grains and vegetables to fruits, flowers, and mulberries. They also have poultry and dairy. Many farmers have invested lakhs of rupees in setting up polyhouses for vegetable and flower cultivation. Some have poured their entire savings into developing irrigation systems and nurturing orchards.

“We supply food to Bengaluru. Why is the government snatching our food basket for the growth of industry?” asks Munivenkatamma of Mattabaralu village. 

Her village is among the three that figured in the industry minister’s list. She is furious about this approach of the government, which she says is aimed at dividing the movement. “We will fight unitedly until the notification is withdrawn for all the 13 villages,” she says. 

The unity of the villagers, which reflects in their collective leadership and decision-making process, has enabled them to sustain the agitation for 1,180 days without a break. Families take turns to be at the protest site in front of the deputy tahsildar office in Channarayapatna as they juggle farm work and protest.

Take Munivenkatamma’s family, for instance. She, along with her husband and son, has joined the Devanahalli rally while her daughter-in-law tended to the farm. Generally, women manage the farm and men join the protest. A community kitchen serves food to those at the protest site. 

To seek government attention and
to keep the momentum going, they organise massive rallies regularly, apart from sitting on dharnas and constantly keeping people updated through various communication channels. As a result, their narrative has deeply influenced the people of this region and eventually spread to the other parts of the state. Now, social movements have expressed solidarity to this non-violent agitation. In fact, this campaign which has persisted against all the odds offers hope for social movements, says grassroots worker and writer Sharada Gopal.

Politics around land

The political timeline of the movement is interesting. The land was notified by the previous BJP government, and consequently, the Congress party made an electoral promise to withdraw the notification. “After coming to power, the Congress government has completely betrayed their electoral promise. Their reneging on this promise indicates that they are very much into the speculative economy that benefits them. This is a big blackmark against the Congress. For other citizens, it flags that the state government is not really interested in people’s welfare,” says social anthropologist A R Vasavi, who has been closely following the movement. 

As the resistance gains momentum and compels the administration to respond, it offers a rare note of optimism for both agriculture and the power of grassroots resistance. At a time when farming is in deep distress due to the climate crisis and volatile markets, these farmers remain committed to cultivation and are fighting to protect their right to grow.

“Unlike the struggles that aim at increasing the price of the land, this struggle from the very beginning spoke in the language of preserving the land and livelihood,” says social activist Mallige. 

“The basic questions raised by the protesting farmers in Devanahalli could not be answered by those in power,” she adds and quotes farmers: What is the meaning of development for those farmers who are going to lose their only means of livelihood? Why is there a need for every developmental project to destroy fertile land, which gives food security to the whole society?