Farmers stop buses forcefully, tie up drivers’ hands and steering wheel

Farmers protesting in Belagavi used forceful methods to stop buses on the highway demanding payment of sugarcane dues.

Farmers who were protesting in front of the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi used forceful methods to stop buses on the Pune-Bengaluru national highway on Monday (December 9, 2024).

Protestors used their towels to tie the hands of drivers as well as the steering wheels of buses, during their ‘rasta roko’ protest in front of the venue of the winter session.

Farmers stopped vehicles on the highway for around half an hour. They went around asking all commuters to stop till their protest was over. This led to a traffic logjam in front of the Suvarna Soudha.

However, two NWKRTC buses tried to pass through the traffic from the sides, angering the protestors who chased the buses, stopped them and climbed inside. They yelled at the drivers and tied their hands to the poles behind the drivers’ seat. They also used the towels to tie the steering wheels to a steel pipe. Some farmers stood guard to see that the driver would not open the knot with his other hand.

Their demands included immediate payment of sugarcane dues, increased remunerative prices for sugarcane and other crops, legalised minimum support price, withdrawal of anti-farmer laws that allowed operation of private APMCs, contract farming, and removal of ceiling limits by changes to land reform laws and starting work on the Mahadayi basin river projects.

Farmers shouted slogans against the government, and argued vehemently with the police who asked them to withdraw the road block. The protest ended after some time and the police managed to disperse the crowd and clear the road.

Members of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, Hasiru Sene, Sugarcane Growers Association and other organisations were present.