Mandya:  Members of various progressive, Dalit, Raitha Sangha and Women’s Organisations staged a protest here recently demanding the District Administration to ban mining and stone quarrying completely around Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) besides fulfilling other demands.

The protesters, shouting slogans against the Police and District Administration, demanded the State government to order a judicial probe into the death of a bonded labour Kariyappa Madar who died under mysterious circumstances at a quarry owned by one Umesh at Hangarahalli in Pandavapura taluk recently.

Condemning the forcible practice of bonded labour system in many parts of the district, they alleged that a woman was forced to practice bonded labour in Maddur taluk. They shouted slogans against the apathy of the District Administration and the Police for not taking any action on the culprits involved in such activities.

Dalit Sangarsh Samithi (DSS) State Convener Keregodu Guruprasad accused that quarry owner Umesh had allegedly slapped his bonded labour Kariappa Madar to death for not returning the loan he had borrowed.

Addressing the protesters, BSP leader Krishna Murthy alleged that Police and District Administration officials have been indirectly supporting the illegal quarrying activities around 20 kms radius of KRS Dam despite the ban order enforced by the Mandya Deputy Commissioner. Shockingly, a majority of labourers who have been working in stone quarries are members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

District Raitha Sangha President Shambunahalli Suresh alleged that illegal mining activities around Baby Betta region has threatened KRS but the Mandya DC has failed to crack down on illegal mining activities that are being carried out brazenly after violating the  ban order by stone quarry operators.