Rural unrest to the fore in Belagavi; Farmer loses land, sets himself ablaze

A cop tries to save farmer Ashok Anagolkar after he set himself on fire to protest against land acquisition

Ravindra Uppar | NT

Belagavi, Nov.11

The protest by farmers including women against the Halaga-Macche bypass highway work in the outskirts of the city took a unexpected turn on Thursday with one of the land losers, Ashok Anagolkar, attempting to commit suicide by setting himself on fire using petrol here on Thursday.

Various farmer organizations and land losers had been opposing the work undertaken by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). According to farmers, the NHAI has commenced the work illegally, as the matter is still subjudice.

Police forcibly took the protesting farmers into custody with the protesters alleging that male policemen manhandled women protesters and pulled their saris while forcing them to get into the police van.

After Anagolkar set himself on fire, the police and locals tried to douse the fire by removing his clothes and throwing soil on him. He was immediately taken to the nearby hospital and is said to be out of danger. After the incident, there was tension in both Halaga and Macche villages and a huge police force has been deployed at the spot.

Halaga-Macche bypass is part of the Central government’s ambitious Bharatmala project, which connects the Belagavi-Panjim National Highway and Pune- Bengaluru National Highway. The government has acquired land at Halaga, Belagavi, Madhavpur, Vadagaon, Shahapur, Angol, Majagaon, and Macche.