A 60-year-old woman, taking part in a padayatra from Chitradurga to the Vidhana Soudha seeking a ban on liquor in the State, died of injuries after being hit by a motorcycle near Kuluvanahalli in Nelamangala on Sunday night. The deceased, Renukamma, was a resident of Lingasugur in Raichur district. She was a construction labourer who had joined the march, as part of the Madhya Nishedha Andolan (movement seeking a liquor ban), comprising over 2,000 women. The padayatra had left from Tumakuru towards Bengaluru on Sunday.
Occurred at night
According to the police, the protesters had camped near Kuluvanahalli for the night.
Renukamma was reportedly crossing the road when motorcycle rider Hensor Jose, 23, a college student, knocked her down. She sustained severe head injuries and was rushed to a private hospital where she succumbed later.
The Nelamangala traffic police detained Hensor Jose and seized the bike.
Hensor Jose had gone to Hampi, along with a friend, and was returning home, the police said.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of Nelamangala government hospital to pay their respects to Renukamma.
Ravi Krishna Reddy, who is part of the protest march, alleged that police had not put security measures in place for the march, and blamed the government for the death of Renukamma.
The padayatra began in Chitradurga on January 19 with 2,000 women, with more women joining from over 20 districts of the State, including Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Ballari, Koppal, Yadgir, Bidar, Haveri, Chitradurga, Raichur, Dharwad, Bagalkot, and Tumakuru.
The padayatra will end in Bengaluru on January 30.
Met the CM
Swarna Bhat, one of the members of the andolana, told The Hindu that some women met Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday. “However, the CM was dismissive of our plight. He wanted to know why we organised this padayatra instead of coming to him. We began this struggle three years ago and have petitioned authorities, including Mr. Kumaraswamy, multiple times. The yatra was the last resort. If the government fails to support our cause, we will intensify our struggle,” she added.
