The Bovi community land dispute over a proposed hostel site in H.D. Kote intensified on October 13, as community leaders staged a protest outside the tahsildar’s office seeking removal of alleged encroachments and legal action against those occupying the land.
The protest was organised by district and taluk-level representatives of the Bovi community. The leaders said the government had allotted land for a hostel for economically disadvantaged children from the community, but that the site had been encroached upon. They demanded that the administration clear the land and allow construction of the student hostel.
The protest was led by Idea Venkatesh, president of the Bovi community for H.D. Kote and Saragur taluks. The demonstrators alleged that individuals occupying the community’s land had also subjected its members to harassment. They called for legal action against those responsible and asked the revenue and police departments to intervene.
According to the protesters, 15 acres were allotted to the Bovi community in 1963 in Padukote village under Survey No. 1, covering Block Nos. 790 to 797. The community representatives said they had continued to pay revenue on the land, but alleged that the tahsildar’s office and police had not taken effective steps to resolve the dispute.
The issue also involves court proceedings. Tahsildar Srinivas and Circle Inspector Gangadhar visited the protest site and told the demonstrators that the alleged encroachers had filed a case in court concerning the land. The officials assured the community leaders that documents relating to the allotment of the land to the Bovi community would be submitted before the court.
The officials’ response places the immediate dispute within the revenue and judicial systems rather than resolving the ownership question through the protest itself. The status of the land, the validity of the allotment and the claims of the parties will have to be determined through the relevant records and court proceedings. The report does not specify the stage of the case or provide details of any interim order.
For the community, the dispute has delayed the intended use of the site as a hostel for children from poor families. The protest leaders said clearing the land was necessary to create the facility, linking the land question directly to the community’s planned educational support infrastructure.
Several community representatives and religious leaders attended the protest, including Siddarameshwara Swamiji, Kavi Swamiji, former Bovi Development Corporation chairman G.V. Sitaram and other district and taluk leaders. The administration’s next stated step is to place the allotment documents before the court while the dispute remains under consideration.
