A farmer died in a stampede during distribution of fertilizer at Haladamanahalli village in H.D. Kote taluk, about 15 km from here, on Wednesday. The watershed development department had organized a programme for free distribution of compost fertilizer at the village. Officials had distributed one lorry-load of fertilizer in the morning and went out for lunch as they waited for a second load to arrive in the afternoon. The fertilizer load arrived around 2.30 pm and farmers, who were waiting for hours, all of a sudden rushed towards the lorry and started pulling out the bags, which led eventually led to a stampede. In the melee, Krishna Gowda (40) slipped from the lorry and fell on the ground and a fertilizer bag fell on his chest, killing him on spot. It is said that Krishna Gowda was a heart patient. He is survived by his wife and three children, including two daughters.
None of the officials were present at the time of the incident. The farmers have staged a protest and demanded compensation for the family of the deceased. When contacted, Mr D. Narayanaswamy, an official of water-shed department, said: “It was unfortunate. We had asked the farmers to wait till we returned from the lunch break. One load of fertilizer was distributed in the morning and we had told the farmers that there was enough stock”. H.D. Kote tahsildar D.S. Shivkumar Swamy visited the spot and told the farmers that compensation will be paid once the autopsy report is obtained. H.D. Kote MLA Chikkanna plans to visit the family on Thursday.