Bengaluru: Normal life in the city was severely hit on Thursday March 3, due to massive protest rally taken out by several farmers’ associations.

Agitating farmers from Kolar and Chikballapur carried out a protest march from their respective districts to the city in hundreds of tractors demanding permanent solution for drinking water and irrigation problems.

Citing the possible disturbance police tried to stop the agitators on the outskirts of the city but in vain as farmers managed to break barricades to make way to towards the city.

As precautionary measures police had banned farmers’ tractors and trucks entering into city from 6 am to 10 pm in order to snub the rally.

Meanwhile, farmers agitation turned violent when they were stopped by police near Mekhri circle junction as scuffle broke out between police and farmers.

Stray incidents of stone pelting on BMTC buses and other violent incidents were also reported.

As the situation worsened police cane charged to disrupt the agitating famers in which number of them suffered minor injuries.

Earlier, farmers broke police barricades and road medians on their way to freedom park where agitators wanted to stage a protest rally.

Due to protest march the traffic movement came to standstill in several areas for many hours especially in north part of the city.

As police resorted to lathi charging at several places like Mekhri circle, Kaveri junction and near Windsor Manor junction a few meters away from Chief Minister’s official residence farmers left their tractors midway and returned.

Later in the evening police managed to take farmer leader Kodihalli Chandrasekhar into custody to curb the agitation.

The situation came under control after police took more number of agitating farmers were into custody late in the evening.

Speaking to media, Minister for agriculture, Krishna Bhyregowda said that farmers should be allowed to stage protest at designated places like freedom park and other places.

Several farmers accused that the police behaved ruthlessly against them even those who were returning back to their villages.

Even they harassed in railway stations and bus tribunals.