Farmers detained for sprinkling blood on Bommai statue

‘There is a way to protest against anybody according to the law. Sprinkling of blood is not the way. In the wake of Union Minister Amit Shah’s visit, we have prevented farmers from such act,’ said additional superintendent of police M Venu Gopal

The Mandya police detained at least 25 farmers on the 50th day of their protest on Wednesday after they sprinkled blood on the statue of Karnataka chief minister Basavaraja Bommai.

The farmers, who are protesting in front of the Vishweshwaraiah statue, are demanding a hike in the minimum support price for sugarcane and milk.

“The police did not arrest the farmers, we detained them as a preventive measure and released them later,” said Mandya additional superintendent of police M Venu Gopal. “There is a way to protest against anybody according to the law. Sprinkling of blood is not the way. In the wake of Union Minister Amit Shah’s visit, we have prevented farmers from such act,” he said.

The farmers, who are protesting in front of the Vishweshwaraiah statue, are demanding a hike in the minimum support price for sugarcane and milk. Saying that the state government did not fulfil their demands, the farmers cut themselves and sprinkled their blood on Bommai’s statue. Immediately, the police took the farmers away to the police parade grounds.

“The police want to disrupt the ongoing protest. So, they removed the shamiyana and photos of farmers’ leaders from the venue. We are peacefully staging the dharna for 50 days to press the government to fulfil our various demands,” said Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) president Badagalapura Nagendra.

“We are urging the state government to fix the MSP for agricultural produce scientifically. Farmers in Mysuru, Mandya, Raichur, Ballary, Belagavi and Bagalkote are staging protests. But the state government is trying to disrupt the protest by using police force,” he added.

Union home minister Amit Shah is visiting Mandya on Friday to participate in a public function.