The Hindu : Front Page : Progressive farmer done to death in Gauribidanur

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Progressive farmer done to death in Gauribidanur

Special Correspondent

He was dragged out of his car and attacked with clubs

The victim was fighting against the pollution of agricultural land
He had called a press meet to highlight the pollution

CHICKaBALLAPUR: An armed gang hacked to death Chella Krishnamurthy (60), a progressive farmer and a green activist, in Gauribidanur taluk of Chickaballapur district on Monday, exactly an hour before he was scheduled to address a press conference to highlight the alleged environment pollution caused by a local distillery.

The police said that around 3.30 p.m. armed men, who came in two multi-utility vehicles, intercepted Mr. Krishnamurthy’s car at Hanumenahalli Gate near Thondebavi, off Bangalore Road, in Manchenahalli police station limits.

They dragged the elderly man out of his car and attacked him with clubs and sped away. A seriously injured Krishnamurthy was rushed to a hospital in Bangalore where he died in the evening.

Mr. Krishnamurthy, who was promoting organic farming, was a resident of Chella Farms on Idagur Road on the outskirts of Gauribidanur town, the police said. According to local environmental activists, for the past few years Krishnamurthy was fighting against the pollution that was being caused by a Gauribidanur-based distillery, which was allegedly letting untreated wash into the neighbouring agricultural lands. Stating that the untreated wash was affecting the fertility of the lands, he had petitioned to the Kanataka State Pollution Control Board and other agencies some time ago.

Acting on his petition, the authorities had served a notice on the distillery and had also ordered it to shut down the unit, the activists told The Hindu. After it resumed operations, the distillery did not take any steps to stop the flow of untreated wash into adjoining farms, and Mr. Krishnamurthy again started his fight.

To highlight the alleged pollution caused by the unit, he had convened a press conference at his farm at 4.30 p.m. on Monday and he was on his way to his farm when the attack took place.

Meanwhile, on Monday afternoon a group of people, said to be lorry, tanker and tractor drivers, lodged a complaint against Mr. Krishnamurthy with the Gauribidanur Tahsildar saying that he was disrupting the farming activities in the area in the name of environment protection and that he had assaulted a labourer.

Acting on the complaint, the Gauribidanur Rural police had registered a case against Mr. Krishnamurthy, barely an hour before he was done to death.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page