A Bovi community land dispute over 15 acres allotted for a hostel for economically disadvantaged students led to a protest outside the tahsildar’s office in HD Kote, Mysuru district, on October 13, with community leaders demanding removal of the alleged encroachment and legal action against those occupying the site.
The demonstration was led by Idea Venkatesh, president of the Bovi community for HD Kote and Saragur taluks. Protesters said the land had been allotted to the community for a student hostel, but alleged that individuals had encroached upon it and were also harassing community members. They demanded that the administration clear the land and enable construction of the hostel.
According to the protesters, 15 acres in Padukote village’s Survey No. 1, covering Block Nos. 790 to 797, were allotted to the Bovi community in 1963. They said the community had continued to pay revenue on the land. Despite this, they alleged that the tahsildar’s office and police had not taken effective action to resolve the dispute.
The protest placed a long-pending land-record issue before the local administration. The community’s claim rests on the historical allotment and the documents it says establish its rights over the property. The competing claim, however, is now also part of a court case, making the dispute subject to judicial consideration.
HD Kote Tahsildar Srinivas and Circle Inspector Gangadhar visited the protest site. The officials told the protesters that the alleged encroachers had filed a case in court over the land dispute. They assured the community that documents relating to the allotment of the land to the Bovi community would be submitted before the court.
The officials’ response shifts the immediate issue from a direct eviction order to the production and examination of land records in the ongoing legal proceedings. The report does not specify the court handling the case, the identity of the parties who filed it, or whether any interim order has been issued.
For the community, the dispute has a direct bearing on access to an institution intended to house students from economically disadvantaged families. The proposed hostel has not been given a construction timeline in the report, and it remains unclear what approvals, funds or building plans are in place apart from the land allotment.
Religious leaders, former office-bearers of the Bovi community corporation and local community representatives joined the protest. The demonstration concluded with the demand that the administration protect the allotted land, pursue action against alleged encroachment through the lawful process and facilitate the proposed hostel once the legal and land-record issues are addressed.
