Sugarcane Farmers’ Protest Turns Violent in Belagavi: Stone Pelting at Toll Plaza Injures Police

At Hattargi toll plaza in Belagavi district, Karnataka, stone‑pelting during a farmers’ protest over sugarcane procurement price injured six police personnel and damaged vehicles. Highway later reopened.

Belagavi, Karnataka | November 08, 2025: Tension escalated on Friday during a major sugarcane farmers’ protest near the Hattargi toll plaza in Hukkeri taluk, Belagavi district, when several police personnel were injured and vehicles were damaged after stone‑pelting incidents.

The protest, which has entered its eighth day, involves farmers demanding a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹3,500 per tonne for their sugarcane. Officials said that during attempts to clear tractors and protestors blocking National Highway 48 (Pune–Bengaluru route), miscreants began hurling stones at police and vehicles. According to Superintendent of Police Dr. Bheemashankar S. Guled, six officers sustained injuries and several trucks and buses bore damage.

While farmer‑leaders denied involvement in the violent act, calling the stone‑throwers “outsiders” aiming to disturb the peaceful protest, officials caution that a full investigation will determine whether this was coordinated sabotage or part of the agitation.

Traffic on the crucial highway was disrupted for several hours but was restored later in the day following intervention by senior police and negotiation with farmer representatives. A heavy security presence remains, and over fifty CCTV cameras have been deployed for surveillance.

The agitation has also spread beyond Belagavi to Bagalkot and Vijayapura districts, where farmers have similarly blocked roads and observed shutdowns. The Karnataka government has offered talks and has fixed a procurement price of ₹3,300 per tonne, but protesters say this falls short of their demands.

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