Claiming injustice, farmer climbs tree outside Vidhana Soudha to hang himself

Bengaluru: Chaos prevailed outside the west gate of Vidhana Soudha Tuesday afternoon when a farmer from Tarikere in Chikkamagaluru climbed a tree and said he will die by suicide as National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and state govt had allegedly betrayed him over land acquisition.

This is not the first time the farmer, TN Vishnukumar, is protesting against alleged injustice. He chopped down a sandalwood tree inside Legislators’ Home this Feb and climbed a high-tension power transmission tower in Tarikere in June last year as part of his agitation against land acquisition.

“Around 12.45pm, Vishnukumar was seen on the tree. He was brought to Vidhana Soudha police station, where a case of causing public nuisance was registered against him. By evening, he was sent home,” an investigating officer said.

According to Vishnukumar, NHAI officials acquired 3.3 acres of his land at Haliyur village in Tarikere to build a bypass on NH-69. Then, 22 of his sandalwood trees were felled. “The compensation offered was unscientific and not even close to the market value of the land and trees. I blame both NHAI officials and Chikkamagaluru district commissioner for the injustice,” Vishnukumar told Vidhana Soudha police.