Support galore but bandh fails to impact life in Karnataka

The nationwide bandh called by farmer unions, protesting against amendments to the farm laws, did not impact the normal life in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka on Monday.

However, the daylong protest evoked support with many lending their moral support to the farmers’ outcry.

In Karnataka, the bandh was supported by farmer unions, pro-Kannada organisations, progressive groups, Left parties, Congress and JD(S) leaders.

Taking to streets since early in the morning, farmers dumped agricultural produce on the roads and registered their dissent against the centre. In Chitradurga, farmers garlanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s portrait with onion. Flower growers in Chikkaballpur dumped quintals of flowers on the road and staged protest.

The dharna by the protesters on roads affected the movement of buses and trains for a few hours.

Also read: 10-hour 'Bharat Bandh' by farmers kick up political row

In Bengaluru, the police stopped Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha president Kodihalli Chandrashekar and others near KR Puram while they were trying to take out a protest rally. He was asked to go to the Town Hall in his own vehicle. Similarly, another farmer leader Kuruburu Shanthakumar was detained near Maurya Circle while trying to block the road.

The city police, led by Commissioner Kamal Pant along with additional commissioners and DCPs, were on rounds at important places and took measures to maintain the law and order.

“We had detained a few farmer leaders and pro-Kananda organisation leaders as a preventive measure and released them later,” said a senior police official.

Pant told DH that there were no untoward incidents in any part of the city. “We will only take up a case of violation of prohibitory orders against the organisers,” he said.

Check out latest videos from DH: