Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday announced that a probe will be launched to identify those behind the burning of tractors and trolleys loaded with sugarcane in Bagalkote district.
The incident took place on Thursday evening amid a farmers’ protest demanding a procurement price of Rs. 3,500 per tonne.
Tension gripped parts of Bagalkote after several sugarcane-laden tractors and trolleys en route to a factory in Rabkavi Banhatti taluk were allegedly set on fire by miscreants.
Siddaramaiah said that while most farmers have accepted the government-fixed rate of Rs. 3,300 per tonne, cultivators in Mudhol have not agreed to it. “Discussions with them are in progress,” he said.
Speaking to reporters, the chief minister assured a thorough investigation. “Farmers have said they did not set the fire. An inquiry will be conducted, and those responsible will be punished,” he added.
He appealed to Mudhol farmers to accept the Rs. 3,300 rate and call off their agitation.
Following Thursday’s arson, the Bagalkote Deputy Commissioner enforced Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, imposing prohibitory orders in Jamkhandi, Mudhol, and Rabkavi-Banhatti taluks from 8 pm on November 13 to 8 am on November 16. The order restricts protests, strikes, and public gatherings.
Officials noted that sugarcane farmers have been protesting since November 7 over the pricing issue and other demands, staging road blockades across the district.
On November 13, they also surrounded the sugar factory under Mahalingapura police station limits. As demonstrations continued near the factory, unidentified individuals allegedly torched tractors and trolleys carrying sugarcane.
