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Home Minister visits Tumakuru after Hemavathi protest
So far, 13 FIRs have been registered, naming leaders including Tumakuru Rural BJP MLA B Suresh Gowda, BJP’s S D Dilip Kumar, and JD(S)’s Nagaraju, though no arrests have been made
The state government will review police cases filed against religious seers and other individuals involved in the May 31 protest against the Hemavathi Link Canal project, home minister G Parameshwara said on Monday, hinting at a possible reconsideration of the FIRs registered following the unrest in Tumakuru district.
Answering reporters’ questions on the inclusion of seers in the FIRs, Parameshwara said, “The matter will need to be addressed, and that is why I am headed to Tumakuru.” So far, 13 FIRs have been registered, naming leaders including Tumakuru Rural BJP MLA B Suresh Gowda, BJP’s S D Dilip Kumar, and JD(S)’s Nagaraju, though no arrests have been made. Parameshwara also clarified that religious leaders have not yet been officially named in any of the cases.
The May 31 protest, organised by opposition parties and farmer groups, sought to stop work on the long-pending Hemavathi canal project, which aims to provide drinking water to Kunigal taluk. Demonstrators, alleging the project could harm Tumakuru’s water supply, defied prohibitory orders, burnt tyres, disrupted traffic, and damaged equipment, including a JCB. An inspector, Lohit, was reportedly injured after being hit by mud bricks during the agitation.
Condemning the violence, both Parameshwara and deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar called for restraint and criticised political leaders for using developmental issues to stoke tensions. “Despite the deputy commissioner’s attempts to persuade them to avoid public unrest, the protest escalated,” said Parameshwara, adding that water allocations to Tumakuru — 2,815 units — remain untouched, while Kunigal has been allotted 3,037 units.
“There is a misconception that drawing water from the 70 km point will reduce Tumakuru’s supply. This has been ruled out by the technical committee,” the home minister said, reiterating that the project was cleared only after consultations and expert evaluations. He noted that the express canal scheme received state cabinet approval on January 5, 2024. “A meeting had been held in the presence of the chief minister and the irrigation minister where all concerned MLAs, including from Turuvekere and the leaders who led the earlier protests, had submitted their views. Based on that, the government took a well-informed decision.”
Shivakumar, who also holds the water resources portfolio, dismissed the protest as politically motivated and based on misinformation. “It is a lie that Hemavati water is being diverted to Bengaluru South. The truth is that 90 per cent of the water allocated to Kunigal has not been utilised in the last decade. This is a grave injustice to the people of Kunigal,” he said.
Calling the agitation a “political stunt,” Shivakumar said the project was originally approved during H D Kumaraswamy’s tenure, but later stalled under BS Yediyurappa’s administration. “The project, initially estimated at ₹600 crore, has now escalated to ₹900 crore to ₹1,000 crore due to the delay,” he said, blaming earlier opposition by district minister Madhuswamy and others for the cost overrun.
Shivakumar also responded to claims that the project was intended to benefit Ramanagara district. “Ramanagara has its own irrigation scheme. This project is specifically for the benefit of Kunigal taluk, which has received just 3.3 TMC of its rightful share. Is this an inter-state conflict? No. We are merely correcting a long-standing imbalance,” he said.
He pointed to the irony that leaders now opposing the project had earlier demanded the formation of a technical committee. “Krishnappa and Suresh Gowda demanded a technical committee, and now that the report is out, they are the ones obstructing work,” Shivakumar alleged, accusing them of manipulating farmers for political gains.
Asserting that ₹400 crore has already been released and construction had begun, Shivakumar appealed for public support. “Are the people of Kunigal not Tumkur citizens too? When Tumkur receives water from Krishna and Cauvery, why deny Hemavati water to Kunigal? The people understand this. Only the blackmailers don’t,” he said.
