Women hold drum-beatingprotest against harassment

In a striking form of protest, hundreds of women from Nagaiah Reddy extension at Gauribidanur, Chikkaballapur district, took out a procession Saturday, beating drums to voice their anger at the harassment by agents of microfinance firms.
The protesters, whose families have availed loans from these institutions, issued a stern warning, threatening mass exodus from their homes or even suicide if the harassment persisted.
The women alleged that agents of microfinance companies frequently use abusive language, make threats, and sometimes go as far as locking their houses to force repayment of loans. The women resolved to stand united, promising to confront the agents who flouted rules and seek police intervention if necessary.
"There are over a thousand labourers in the area, and nearly every household has taken loans. In some cases, the loans exceed Rs 3-4 lakh," said Lokesh, a local resident. He added that delays of just a few days in repayment resulted in agents harassing the borrowers, often late at night.
Nalini Gowda, president of Kolar District Women Raitha Sangha, highlighted the root cause of the issue—the absence of financial assistance from the Kolar-Chikkaballapur District Central Cooperative Bank. "This has allowed microfinance institutions and private lenders to exploit borrowers with exorbitant interest rates. The govt's failure to hold elections to DCC Bank has crippled its functioning, depriving the poor of affordable loans," she said.