The proposed Bidadi township project in Karnataka has taken a fresh turn after two FIRs were registered following a clash between officials and protesting farmers during a land survey in Ramanagara district. The incident occurred amid growing opposition to the state’s ambitious Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT) project, which aims to develop India’s first AI-powered city.
Two FIRs Registered Following Survey Clash in Bidadi
According to police, the incident took place between 2:30 pm and 3:00 pm on July 13 at Mandalhalli village in Bidadi Hobli, where government officials were conducting a land survey as part of the acquisition process for the proposed township.
The first FIR was filed by Mohammed Sameer (34), a driver from Mothi Nagara in Ramanagara. His complaint names 11 individuals from Hosuru, Mandalhalli, Bannigiri, Kanchugaranahalli and Byramangala villages in Bengaluru South district. The accused have been booked under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including offences related to unlawful assembly, rioting, assault, criminal intimidation and obstruction of public servants.
Police Complaint Alleges Farmers Obstructed Officials
The second FIR was lodged by Murali (40), a police officer attached to the Ramanagara Rural Police Station. In his complaint, “farmers” from Bengaluru South have been named as the accused under similar provisions of the BNS.
According to the FIR, officials from the Revenue, Forest and Horticulture Departments, accompanied by police personnel, were carrying out the survey when a group of farmers allegedly gathered at the site, disrupted the exercise and attacked members of the survey team.
The complaint further alleges that stones and sticks were used during the confrontation, leaving four people with minor injuries. Those injured include police officer Murali, along with Mahesh, Rohini and Keerthana, all residents of Ramanagara town. Authorities also alleged that the survey team’s vehicle sustained damage after its windows were broken during the incident.
Police Launch Investigation
Both FIRs include charges related to unlawful assembly, rioting, assault or use of criminal force against public servants, causing damage to property and criminal intimidation under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The Bidadi Police have registered the cases and launched an investigation into the incident.
Farmers Intensify Protest Against AI-Powered Township Project
The clash follows days of escalating protests against the proposed Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT). Hundreds of farmers, many of them women carrying brooms as a symbolic gesture of protest, recently confronted government survey teams, forcing officials to suspend the survey after clashes broke out. Protesters also allegedly damaged official vehicles during the demonstrations.
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Why Farmers Are Opposing the Bidadi Township Project
The Karnataka government’s Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT) project has become the centre of a political and public debate over land acquisition. Planned as India’s first AI-powered city, the township is proposed to come up in Bidadi, around 40 kilometres from Bengaluru, across nearly 9,600 acres.
Farmers have strongly opposed the project, arguing that it involves the acquisition of large stretches of fertile agricultural land that serves as their primary source of livelihood. The ongoing protests have intensified the controversy surrounding the state’s urban development plans, with tensions continuing between local communities and government authorities.
