SP injured as ryots' protest over new underpass at Karnataka's Hankere turns violent

MANDYA/ MYSURU: Several policemen, including a superintendent, were injured when farmers who had put up a road blockade at Hankere, demanding a new underpass, resorted to stone-pelting on Monday.
The road-blockade started at 7am, forcing officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Mandya district police personnel to rush to the spot. The protests continued till 10 am, despite assurances from NHAI officials that the Centre had released Rs 8 crore for the construction of a new underpass.
The agitating farmers were demanding easy entry and exit points to and from Hanakere village in Mandya taluk.
NHAI had earlier built an underpass in the area. However, the facility is located 600 metres away from the village and villagers claim it serves no purpose.
During the protest, as traffic came to a standstill, N Yatish, the Mandya SP, met the leaders of the agitating farmers and tried to persuade them to remove the blockade. The protesters, however, refused to budge, forcing the cops to take some of them into custody.
Enraged at police intervention, the protesters pelted stones, injuring several officers, including the SP. The cops then resorted to a lathi charge to bring the situation under control. Movement of traffic later resumed. As a precautionary measure, policemen were deployed at the spot.
Meanwhile, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha told reporters that the Centre was in the process of approving a new underpass at Hankere. He said the underpass would be built 200 metres away from the village junction.
He assured that even after work on the main underpass is completed, standalone underpasses, overbridges and entry and exit points will be built for the convenience of the villagers.
Lathicharge criticised
Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambareesh has criticised police lathicharge against the agitating farmers at Hanakere. She said the NHAI authorities neglected her concerns though she tried to impress upon them the unscientific designs, she said.