Prateek Tanmay
2 min readBengaloreUpdated: Jul 13, 2026 08:36 PM IST
A protest against the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township project turned violent on Monday when residents of Mandalahalli village in Bengaluru South district attacked government officials over a land acquisition survey. Around 7,400 acres of land are to be acquired in nine villages for the project, popularly known as the Bidadi township project.
Though the protesters blocked the main road leading to the village, officials from the Joint Measurement Committee (JMC) reportedly used alternative roads to reach the site. As word spread, several women from the village hit the streets with brooms. They gathered at the survey spot, resulting in an altercation. As more people started arriving there, the officials had to leave fast, even as their vehicles were pelted with stones.
Videos also showed women hitting survey officials with brooms. Another video showed residents chasing away an official. In yet another video, a villager is heard telling a JMC member that none of their objections against the land acquisition process was being considered.
“Wait till we have a discussion with the government and arrive at a decision,” the villager said, asking officials not to intimidate the villagers.
JD(S) condemns ‘forceful’ survey
The Opposition JD(S) posted a video of the incident online, condemning the decision to carry out the survey allegedly without informing the villagers beforehand. “It is most unfortunate that the government, having failed to understand the farmers’ sentiments, is now attempting to implement this project by any means. I demand that the government immediately release the farmers it has already taken into custody and abandon the Bidadi Township project,” JD(S) youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy said in a post on X.
Considered a pet project of Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, the township project has attracted opposition since the preliminary notification for acquiring around 7,400 acres of land near Bidadi was issued last March.
