Farmer attempts to end life near Vidhana Soudha over alleged delay in highway land compensation

A farmer from Chikkamagaluru allegedly attempted suicide near Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday afternoon, claiming that prolonged delays in compensation for land acquired for a National Highway project had pushed him into severe financial and mental distress.

The incident occurred around 12.45 p.m. when T.N. Vishukumar, a farmer and sandalwood cultivator from Haliyur village in Tarikere taluk, allegedly attempted to take his life as a form of protest. However, police personnel deployed for security intervened immediately, prevented the attempt, and detained him.

The police said Vishukumar alleged that 1.5 acres of his land was acquired by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in 2016 for a highway project. He claimed that compensation for the acquired land and the sandalwood trees growing on it was initially estimated at around ₹62 crore. However, he alleged that a valuation report prepared by the Forest Department assessed the value at only ₹62 lakh, drastically reducing the compensation payable to him.

Officials said Vishukumar has been agitating over the issue for several years and has repeatedly sought the intervention of government authorities, including the Chikkamagaluru Deputy Commissioner, for the release of what he claims is pending compensation. In February this year, he was detained by Vidhana Soudha police after allegedly chopping branches of a sandalwood tree outside Vidhana Soudha to draw attention to his demand for fair compensation.

The police said a notice has been issued to Vishukumar, and a report has been submitted before the court stating that he allegedly staged a protest without prior permission and caused public inconvenience. He has been directed to appear before the court for further proceedings.

(If you are in distress or having suicidal tendencies, please reach out to these 24/7 helplines: KIRAN at 1800-599-0019 or Arogya Sahayavani at 104 for help.)