Farmers protest resumption of forest safaris in Bandipur, Nagarahole tiger reserves

Mysuru: Farmers from Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts on Wednesday staged large-scale protests opposing the resumption of forest safaris in Bandipur and Nagarahole tiger reserves.The agitation was led by farmer functionary Kurubur Shanthakumar and the Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers' Association. The protest including hundreds of farmers commenced with a massive bike rally from Gun House Circle in Mysuru to the District Collector's office.
Protesters accused the state govt and forest minister Eshwar Khandre of prioritising tourism revenue over the safety of villagers and protection of agrarian livelihoods. They argued that reopening safari activities would aggravate human-wildlife conflict in forest-fringe villages, putting both farmers and livestock at risk. Demonstrators raised slogans and submitted a memorandum demanding the immediate withdrawal of the safari resumption order.Meanwhile, the protest over the issue escalated near the regional commissioner's office, where members of the Kabini Raitha Hitha Rakshana Samiti staged a semi-nude demonstration to draw attention to their grievances. An installation portraying a tiger attacking a farmer was displayed to symbolically represent the dangers faced by those living along forest boundaries. Farmer leaders Honnur Prakash and Manju Kiran led the agitation.Linking the issue to broader agrarian distress, farmers also sought uninterrupted power supply for irrigation pumpsets and filling up of lakes from river sources to tackle the anticipated summer water shortage. Issuing a one-month ultimatum, the protesters warned that failure to address their demands would result in intensified agitation, including gheraos of the district administration and forest department offices.