Bullet-hit farmers find no ray of hope

HAVERI: Abdul Razak Kalakoti, a farmer from Haveri, prefers death to being dependent on his wife and children for his daily bread. He was shot in his shoulder during police firing two years ago when farmers' protest for fertilizer turned violent. He lost control over his right hand since then, and is incapable of working. "I should have died instead of being crippled for life.It is a pain to watch helplessly when my family struggles to make both ends meet," Razak laments.
Razak is one of the eight farmers, who were injured in Haveri golibar in June 2008. Two farmers died in the incident when police fired at the mob that turned violent in the wake of non-availability of fertiliser. While some compensation was given by the government to the dependents of the deceased, the injured, many of whom are crippled for life, have not been cared for. As the Raita Sangha gets ready to observe the second anniversary of the incident here on Thursday, the government needs to wake up to the glaring reality that the innocent victims are left in the lurch till date.
"Forget compensation from the government, we have to attend the court twice a month in connection with the case even now, paying from our pockets," said Mallappa, another farmer, who was hit by the bullet. The government has not kept its promise of withdrawing case against the farmers, he added. Mallappa is the sole bread-winner of the family. All the eight injured have their own story to tell.
Farmer leaders will meet on Thursday to pay homage to those died in the incident and demand compensation for the injured. They will also urge the government to withdraw cases against farmers. They did so last year too, but their demands fell on deaf ears.