A group of Hakki-Pikki people, residents of Angadihalli near Belur, staged a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Hassan demanding land suitable for cultivation.
The tribal families protested with their children and their belongings in tow. They said they would not give up the protest till their demand was fulfilled.
The Hakki-Pikki people have been demanding grant of land for the last three decades. Recently, a group of the tribal community put up tents on a vacant land at Doddihalli, in Arehalli hobli in Belur taluk, as part of their protest. Similarly, another group of over 200 families moved to Honnenahalli.
The Belur Taluk Administration, with the help of the police managed to remove the tents in both the places and asked the protesters to take leave from there. As a result, those who had put up tents at Doddahalli moved to Hassan to continue their protest in front of the DC’s office, while those in Honnenahalli stayed put in the village.
Indrani, a tribe member, who was leading the protest in Hassan, said, “We have been seeking land for the last three decades. We identified vacant government land in Arehalli hobli and put up tents there to claim the land. The administration removed our tents, forcing us to continue with the protest in Hassan.”
K.M. Janaki, Additional Deputy Commissioner, met the protesters and assured them that the district administration would soon find suitable land for them and take measures to allot them sites. However, the protesters maintained that they would continue their protest until the assurance was fulfilled.
