A sugarcane price protest by farmers from Mandya, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts disrupted traffic on the Bengaluru–Mysuru National Highway near Ganangur toll plaza in Srirangapatna taluk on Friday, after demonstrators demanded a price of ₹5,500 per tonne and a farm loan waiver.
Thousands of farmers and members of farmer organisations took part in the protest led by Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha state president Badagalapura Nagendra. Congress-supported MLA Darshan Puttannaiah also joined the demonstration and called for the government to increase the price paid for sugarcane.
The protest began near the toll plaza, where farmers raised slogans against the state and central governments. Police attempted to keep highway traffic moving through the service road, but groups of protesters entered the service road and stopped vehicles. Police then tried to move the farmers away from the route.
Farmers repeatedly returned to the road and halted traffic, leading to pushing, jostling and verbal confrontations with the police for about an hour, according to the report. Vehicles were lined up for several kilometres as traffic on the highway came to a complete standstill, leaving passengers stranded.
The Bengaluru–Mysuru highway is a key road connection between the two cities and the surrounding districts. The blockade showed how a farm-price dispute can quickly affect regional mobility when a protest is held on a high-volume national highway. The supplied report did not provide a separate estimate of the number of vehicles or passengers affected.
Farmer leaders submitted their demands to N. Chaluvarayaswamy, identified in the report as the district in-charge minister and water resources minister. Chaluvarayaswamy said a meeting of farmer representatives would be held in Belagavi on October 26, where Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar would take an appropriate decision on the demands.
The minister also said farmers would need to reach a decision on declining yields and promised to support their efforts against what he described as discrimination between north and south India by the Union government. He further said a cabinet approval had already been given for an increase in milk prices and that the increase would take effect after the election code of conduct ended.
Farmers withdrew the protest after receiving the minister’s assurance. The demonstration was attended by MLAs Darshan Puttannaiah and Ramesh Bandisiddhe Gowda, Deputy Commissioner Kumar and Superintendent of Police V.J. Shobharani. The next reported milestone is the October 26 meeting in Belagavi, where the government is expected to consider the farmers’ demands.
