Bengaluru, Nov 14 (IANS) A day after sugarcane-laden tractors were set on fire in Bagalkot district, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that he has ordered an investigation into the incident and that action will be taken against those responsible.

He made the announcement while speaking to reporters after garlanding the statue of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on the occasion of his birth anniversary, on the premises of Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.

Answering a question regarding the sugarcane farmers’ protest turning violent, CM Siddaramaiah stated, “The farmers have clarified that they are not responsible for it. In this context, instructions have been given to conduct an investigation and take action against those found guilty.”

The government has fixed the sugarcane price at Rs 3,300 per tonne, and farmers from the Mudhol region have been urged to accept this rate and withdraw their agitation, he said.

The Chief Minister said that most sugarcane farmers across the state have accepted the government price.

The protest by farmers, who have been demanding Rs 3,500 per tonne from sugar factories, turned violent on Thursday night, with agitators allegedly torching more than 50 tractors loaded with sugarcane in Bagalkot district.

The incident was reported from Sanganakatti Cross near Mahalingapura town, close to Mudhol. It is estimated that thousands of tonnes of sugarcane were destroyed in the fire.

The state government had fixed the sugarcane price at Rs 3,300 per tonne after holding meetings with both farmers and factory owners.

According to preliminary reports, the protesting farmers were attempting to lay siege to a sugar factory located near Sydapura on the Mahalingapura–Nippani road. At one point, a group of agitators set fire to the tractors loaded with sugarcane that were lined up outside the factory.

More than 200 tractors had been parked in front of the factory.

Farmers from Mudhol, who had opposed the government-fixed price of Rs 3,300 per tonne, had been staging protests for the past week.

On Thursday, they had called for a complete shutdown of Mudhol town. They insisted that only the sugar factory owners should come forward for talks and remained firm on their demand for Rs 3,500 per tonne.

The development has triggered a major controversy in the state.

Commenting on the situation, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H. D. Kumaraswamy had said: “The crisis faced by sugarcane farmers has intensified. The sight of tractors loaded with sugarcane catching fire in the yard of the Mudhol sugar factory has deeply shocked me. This is a clear indication of the failure of the Congress-led Karnataka government.”

–IANS

mka/svn