As the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) marks three decades of grassroots activism, it has issued an urgent public letter to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, demanding a complete withdrawal of land acquisition proceedings for 1,777 acres in Devanahalli. The appeal comes on the eve of the CM’s scheduled meeting with the protesting farmers on 4 July.
In a strongly worded letter, co-signed by several grassroots movements and civil society leaders across India, NAPM called on the Congress-led government in Karnataka to uphold its electoral commitments and ensure justice for farmers who have been resisting the acquisition for over 1,185 days.
The ongoing protest, involving farmers from 13 villages of Channarayapatna Hobli, targets a proposed Hi-tech Defence and Aerospace Park. Protesters allege that the project, initiated under the previous BJP government in January 2022, threatens fertile farmland and violates the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (LARR). More than 25% of the cultivators belong to socially marginalised communities.
Despite a partial rollback of acquisition (495 acres), farmers insist that all 1,777 acres be exempted from acquisition. Tensions escalated on 25 June when police allegedly lathi-charged and detained several protesters during a state-wide mobilisation. Farmers have since continued a Bhoomi Satyagraha at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, now in its seventh day.
NAPM reminded the Chief Minister of his earlier support to the movement, including a 2022 visit where he had promised to scrap the acquisition if elected. The alliance expressed dismay that the Congress government is continuing with policies introduced by the BJP and accused it of breaching both legal and moral obligations.
The letter also flagged wider concerns around large-scale land grabs in the region, pointing to over 6,000 acres already acquired for the Haraluru Industrial Area. According to a KIADB survey from May 2022, over 80% of affected farmers in Devanahalli expressed unwillingness to give up their land.
Among the key demands laid out by NAPM are:
- Full withdrawal of land acquisition across the entire 1,777 acres;
- A fair and transparent dialogue with the farmers’ delegation;
- Withdrawal of police cases and action against officials responsible for excesses;
- Implementation of the LARR Act, 2013 and the Karnataka SC/ST Land Protection Act, 1978;
- White paper on all land acquired and unused by KIADB;
- Establishment of district-level grievance redress mechanisms for agrarian communities.
The statement noted that leaders from Samyukta Kisan Morcha and other national movements have extended solidarity to the protest. It concluded by urging the Karnataka government to “stand with the annadatas who feed Bengaluru and the state, not with corporations.”
The letter is endorsed by over two dozen organisations and activists from across India, including the Food Sovereignty Alliance, Rythu Swarajya Vedika, Sadbhav Manch, Paschim Odisha Krishak Sangram Samiti, Jan Jagaran Shakti Sangathan, and the National Platform for Domestic Workers, among others.
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