Congress workers from Tirthahalli assembly constituency took out a march from Koppasara to the forest office in Mandagadde alleging that forest department officials were harassing non-BJP people in the taluk.
Former minister Kimmane Ratnakar led the protest march covering a distance of 16 kilometres.
Mr Ratnakar and his supporters alleged that the officials were harassing poor farmers at the behest of BJP leaders, including Home Minister Araga Gyanendra, who are not in favor of the BJP. The officials filed false cases against him to harass Congress supporters. The former minister said that people are fed up with the misbehavior being meted out to the officials in the last three years.
The protesters staged a sit-in in front of the forest department office at Mandagadde and raised slogans against the state government and BJP leaders. Teerthahalli Block Congress President Kestur Manjunath and others participated.
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