The Yadgir bandh is getting a good response
Members of various organizations staged a bandh under the leadership of former minister Narasimha Naik (Rajugouda) in Yadgir district on Friday. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The Yadgir bandh called by various organizations led by former minister Narasimha Naik (Rajugouda) drew a good response across Yadgir district headquarters as well as in Shorapur and Hunsagi taluks on Friday.
The agitation was staged to demand continuous release of water from Basavasagar reservoir through Narayanpur left bank and right bank canal till the end of November to protect standing crop including paddy, green chilli and cotton.
​Commercial facilities, markets and shops voluntarily close until 3:00 p.m. in solidarity with farmers. However, public transport remained largely unaffected.
Hundreds of farmers gathered near the Tahsildar office in Yadgir before marching to Subhash Chandra Bose Circle where they staged a demonstration for several hours.
Mr. Naik told the gathering that despite sufficient water in the reservoir, discharges were being diverted to neighboring Telangana overnight while local agricultural demands were being ignored. Mr. Naik, who refuted the allegations made by minister-in-charge Sharan Prakash Patil, claimed that local farmers were in possession of video footage documenting inter-state transfers of water.
He appealed to Minister for Large and Medium Industries MB Patil to allocate at least 14 tmcft of water for Yadgir region to save standing crops, pointing out that 28 tmcft of water has already been reserved for drinking purposes in Vijayapura and Bagalkot districts.
Mr. Naik also urged Superintendent of Police Pruthvik Shankar to withdraw the cases registered against the farmers during the previous agitations and offered to get booked first instead. He warned that the agitation would intensify if Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigama Limited went ahead with its proposed Warabandhi closure from November 12.
The protest received support from many farmers’ associations, pro-Kannada organizations, Dalit organizations and local bar associations.
A formal memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister was submitted through Deputy Commissioner Rahul Pandve, who assured the protesters that their demands and grievances would be conveyed to higher authorities without delay.
Basavaraj Veebhutihalli, Rachanagouda Mudnal, Mahesh Reddy Mudnal, Devendra Nath Nad, Lalita Anapur, Mareppa Chattarkar, Mareppa Naik, Bheemu Naik and others were present at the demonstration.
Published – November 6, 2026 10:58 PM IST