Sugarcane tractors set on fire in Karnatala's Bagalkote amid farmers’ protest; prohibitory orders imposed

In Bagalkote, tensions escalated after tractors transporting sugarcane were set on fire during farmer protests for higher prices.

Tension gripped several areas of Bagalkote district on Thursday after a series of tractors and trolleys transporting sugarcane to a factory in Rabkavi Banhatti taluk were torched, allegedly by unidentified miscreants.

People look on as smoke billows from sugarcane on fire after several tractors and trolleys carrying sugarcane to a factory were allegedly set ablaze by miscreants, in Bagalkote.(PTI)

The incident unfolded even as sugarcane farmers continued their agitation demanding ₹3,500 per tonne for their crop.

Firefighters were deployed quickly to douse the flames and prevent the blaze from spreading. Police said the chaos broke out near the Godavari (Sameerwadi) sugar factory limits under Mahalingapura police station on November 13, where farmers had staged a siege earlier in the day as part of their ongoing protest, news agency PTI reported.

Farmer representatives distanced the protestors from the arson, insisting that agitators were not involved and alleging that outsiders may have carried out the act to discredit their movement. Reports also pointed to episodes of stone-pelting during the disturbance, which left several people, including police personnel, injured, the report added.

In response to the escalating situation, the Bagalkote Deputy Commissioner invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, imposing temporary prohibitory orders in Jamkhandi, Mudhol, and Rabkavi-Banhatti taluks. The curbs, effective from 8 pm on November 13 until 8 am on November 16, bar public gatherings, protests, and strikes in order to safeguard public safety and property.

Sugar Minister Shivanand Patil said the government will launch a probe to identify those behind the violence and ensure accountability. Officials noted that farmers in Bagalkote, Mudhol, Haveri, and neighbouring regions have been demonstrating since November 7 over pricing concerns, staging road blockades and other protests.

While growers in Belagavi and certain other districts withdrew their stir after accepting the government’s procurement rate of ₹3,300 per tonne with 11.25% recovery, farmers in Bagalkote and Haveri refused to call off their protest. They termed the pricing formula “confusing” and warned that recovery-based valuation poses risks to growers.

Political reactions quickly followed the arson incident.

Leader of Opposition R Ashoka criticised the Congress government, saying the sight of “hundreds of tonnes of sugarcane being reduced to ashes along with tractors worth lakhs” was shocking. On X, he urged the state to shed its “negligent attitude,” compensate affected farmers, and intervene directly to resolve the issue.

State BJP president BY Vijayendra also accused the government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of mishandling the crisis. He said the demands of farmers were “completely legitimate” but alleged the administration was acting under pressure from sugar factory owners. Farmers, he added, were left with “only promises” while suffering heavy losses due to government “inaction and insensitivity.”

(With agency inputs)