Six arrested for stone-pelting during sugarcane farmers’ protest on Pune-Bengaluru Highway

Belagavi (Karnataka), Nov 13 (PTI) Six people were arrested in connection with a stone-pelting incident during a farmers’ protest demanding a higher support price for sugarcane, police said on Thursday.

The incident occurred near the Hattargi toll plaza on the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway on November 7, when farmers staged a protest seeking a support price of Rs 3,500 per tonne of sugarcane. The demonstration briefly disrupted traffic on the highway.

During the protest, a group allegedly resorted to stone-pelting, injuring 12 police personnel and damaging two police vehicles, officials said.

District Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar Guled identified the arrested accused as Channagouda Sasalatti (40), Prashant Mugali (28), Vinayak Kotiwali (25), Mallappa Ghatagi (46), Shivanand Vani (59), and Somanath Hiremath (46).

“The individuals involved in the violence were not farmers. They had infiltrated the protest under the guise of farmers with the intent to create disorder,” the SP said, adding that video footage and other evidence were used to trace and identify the six accused.

The police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and other applicable provisions of the law. Further investigation is underway to identify additional suspects, he added. PTI COR AMP SSK