Two FIRs registered after the Bidadi survey chaos

Farmer women in Mandalahalli intercepted officials who had gone to conduct a Joint Measurement Committee survey for the proposed Greater Bengaluru township project, popularly known as the Bidadi township project, and attacked them with brooms.

The Bidadi police have registered two First Information Reports (FIRs) invoking strict Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections, including attempt to murder, against farmers and their leaders in connection with an encounter with poll officials at Mandalahalli on Monday.

The first FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint by a driver who ferried survey officials, while the second was based on a complaint filed by Murali, inspector of Ramanagara Rural police station.

The FIR states that the protesting farmers abused the survey officials and attacked them with brooms and stones, injuring several officers. The inspector alleged in his complaint that the farmers injured and tried to kill both the inspectors and him.

The FIR follows an incident in which women farmers in Mandalahalli detained officials who had gone to conduct a Joint Survey Committee survey for the proposed Greater Bengaluru township project, popularly known as the Bidadi township project, and attacked them with brooms.

The farmers demanded an order for an official survey. However, Greater Bengaluru Development Authority (GBDA) officials claimed that the team went to survey only those plots whose owners had given permission for the project.

R. Srinivas Gowda, Superintendent of Police, Bengaluru South, said the police would not tolerate farmers attacking government officials and preventing them from performing their duties. After the incident, FIRs were registered at the Bidadi police station.

The police applied BNS sections 189 (unlawful assembly), 126(2) (improper restraint), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace), 351 (criminal intimidation), 109(1) (attempted murder), 115(2) (offensive violence by a public official or violent bodily harm23) in the performance of his duty), 133 (assault or use of criminal force against any person) and 74 (assault or use of criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty).

Meanwhile, farmers staged a protest at Bairamangala village on Tuesday. “We will not stop the protests. We have been protesting peacefully for more than 480 days. It turned violent only because the officials tried to introduce a survey,” said Bhagya, one of the protesting farmers.

Terming the incident as an atrocity against Bidadi farmers, Chief Opposition Whip in the Legislative Council N. Ravi Kumar urged the state government to issue a comprehensive white paper on “all aspects” of Bidadi township, including the extent of government land available, private land to be acquired and land for cattle grazing.

I was not in Bidadi

Yashavantha T., state general secretary of the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS), claimed that his name was included in the FIR even though he was not in Bidadi on Monday.

“I am attending a meeting in Delhi and was in the train when the incident took place. My name was added deliberately to create fear. We will not stop our protests because of these tricks,” he told The Hindu.

Sharing his train ticket from Bengaluru to Delhi as evidence, Mr Yashavantha said he was in the train when the incident took place.

Published – 15 Jul 2026 0:30 AM IST