Authorities imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS, barring public gatherings from 6 AM to 9 PM. Despite this, hundreds of fisherfolk, including women and children, protested in the streets
Synopsis: Protests against the proposed private port at Kasarkod beach in Honnavar escalated on 25 February, with local fishermen accusing police of excessive force. Despite prohibitory orders, hundreds of fisherfolk protested against a land survey for the port. Eyewitnesses and viral videos depict police brutality, including the manhandling of women, and a mother being arrested in front of her child, intensifying public outrage.
The ongoing protests against the proposed private port at Kasarkod beach in Honnavar have taken a violent turn, with local fishermen accusing the police of excessive force and unlawful suppression of their movement.
On 25 February, the district administration, under heavy police security, attempted to conduct a land survey for a road leading to the port—an action that was met with fierce resistance from the fishing community.
In a move widely condemned by activists, authorities imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) from 6 AM to 9 PM, barring public gatherings. Despite this, hundreds of fisherfolk, including women and children, took to the streets in protest.
Protesters allege police brutality
Eyewitness accounts and viral videos from the protest site depict harrowing scenes of police brutality. Several women were reportedly manhandled, dragged, and heckled by the police. One shocking incident saw a mother being arrested in front of her crying daughter, further inflaming public outrage.
Protestors have also alleged that police personnel present at the site were not wearing nameplates, with some appearing in masks.
At a press conference held in Bengaluru on 27 February, concerned citizens, along with advocates, came together to question the government’s action and also the discrepancies in the way survey work is being undertaken.
Advocate Sreeja Chakraborty says that one public hearing was conducted on 27 January 2012, which was attended by only 10 people. “This is a very surprising attendance because the stakeholders are more than 30,000 as per Karnataka government’s own fisheries census reports.”
She added that there has already been a case filed before the NGT in 2022, opposing the construction of a dedicated port road on the shoreline through the olive ridley turtle nesting beach. For one and a half years, due to a stay order from the NGT, the project proponent could not build the road.
BT Venkatesh, a senior advocate claims the government, with the port company, have said that they are going to survey the land. “To do this they cannot enter the private residences of fishermen which are granted by the government. They are the absolute owners of the property. Now they are trespassing into their houses, measuring the land for the purpose of road and rail. How can they enter their premises?” he asked.
He also claimed that when the fishermen asked these questions, they have been slapped with cases such as attempt to murder.
NFF condemns crackdown
The National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) has strongly condemned the crackdown and called for immediate action against those responsible. In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister of Karnataka and the Deputy Commissioner (Uttara Kannada District), NFF Chairperson Ramakrishna Tandel and executive member Vikas Tandel have demanded a fair and impartial investigation into the incidents of police brutality.
“The police must maintain law and order, which includes upholding citizens’ right to peaceful protest. The police continuously refused to furnish any written order for the same, raising suspicions about the illegality of police action in protecting the operations of a private company which is against law and order,” the letter stated.
The NFF has urged the government to take the following steps immediately:
– Conduct an independent investigation into allegations of police violence.
– Hold police personnel accountable for their treatment of women and children.
– Ensure the safety and security of the fisher community.
– Uphold the constitutional right to peaceful protest and assembly.
The forum has also warned that if the government continues to ignore the legitimate demands of the fisherfolk, they will push for a nationwide strike.
Fears for marine biodiversity
For the 1,000 families dependent on fishing in Honnavar, the port project they fear, will destroy crucial fishing zones, disrupt marine biodiversity, and displace hundreds of families.
BT Venkatesh alleges that Tonka 1 and Tonka 2 villages where the agitation is taking place have completely disappeared from government records. “There are a thousand families, living there in that area, fishermen, a small village port and their boats, none of them are existing now.” They have their identity cards, but their villages have mysteriously disappeared, according to the senior advocate.
Moreover, environmental activists warn that the construction will endanger the fragile coastal ecosystem, including the nesting grounds of the endangered olive ridley turtles.
Sandeep Hegde, Trustee, Honavar Foundation, tells South First that the olive ridley turtles have been coming to the Honnavar shores to lay their eggs for decades. “The forest department has data, and over the last few years, we have left around 5,000 hatchlings back to the sea on the Tonka shoreline itself. When we talk about the coastline of Karnataka, not all shorelines are sandy, they are mixed. These turtles come to historically undeveloped shorelines and come at night to lay their eggs,” he said.
Karnataka: Fisherfolk Take to Sea in Defiance of Honnavar Port Project
Sabrang India | 27 Feb 2025
Amid heavy police crackdown and government indifference, fishermen in Kasarkod stage protests, risking their lives to halt the controversial port survey.
The proposed construction of a private port at Kasarkod beach by Honnavar Port Private Limited (HPPL) has ignited a fierce and sustained protest from thousands of local fisherfolk and environmental activists. For years, the fishing community has vehemently opposed the project, fearing irreversible damage to their livelihoods and the fragile coastal ecosystem. The latest round of protests, which saw an escalation in tensions, underscores the deep-rooted anger and frustration among residents who believe their concerns have been consistently ignored by the authorities.
Escalation of protests
On February 25, the protests reached a boiling point when authorities, under heavy police security and the imposition of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), initiated a land survey for the construction of a road connecting to the proposed port. Anticipating resistance, the district administration enforced prohibitory orders from 6 AM to 9 PM, preventing public gatherings. However, this move only fuelled the outrage, with schoolchildren and entire families joining the protests.
Determined to halt the survey work, hundreds of fishermen, including women and elderly members of the community, gathered at the shore in Kasarkod and staged a sit-in protest. The situation took a dramatic turn when over 50 protestors, including several women, waded into the sea, threatening mass suicide. Three women lost consciousness due to heat exhaustion and were rushed to hospitals, with one requiring critical care at Manipal Hospital.
Amidst the chaos, police detained more than a hundred protestors, including key leaders of the fishing community, accusing them of violating prohibitory orders. The arrests further enraged the demonstrators, who warned of escalating their protests unless their fellow protestors were released. In a show of solidarity, a young girl left a note threatening to jump into the sea, holding the state’s Fisheries Minister, Mankal Vaidya, accountable for the distress inflicted upon the fishing community.
State repression and suppression of dissent
Rather than addressing the genuine grievances of the community, the Karnataka government and district administration have reportedly resorted to heavy-handed measures to quell the protests. The imposition of prohibitory orders was a clear attempt to suppress dissent and create a hostile environment where the voices of the fishermen could be stifled. Instead of engaging in meaningful dialogue, the state deployed a large police force to intimidate the protestors, using arbitrary arrests and excessive force to disperse the gatherings.
The police crackdown was marked by signs of brutality and disregard for basic human rights. Protestors were forcibly dragged away, shoved into police buses, and detained without proper justification. Reports indicate that some were denied access to legal aid and held in custody for extended hours without clear charges. The authorities’ decision to conduct overnight raids in search of protestors who had spoken to the media further demonstrates their intent to silence any opposition to the port project.
The betrayal by Fisheries Minister Mankal Vaidya has only deepened the outrage. Once a vocal opponent of the port under the previous BJP administration, he has now aligned himself with corporate interests, disregarding the very people he once promised to protect. His refusal to intervene meaningfully, despite multiple pleas from the fishing community, has fueled accusations of political opportunism and abandonment of his responsibilities.
Devastating impact on livelihoods
For the 6,000 families that depend on fishing as their primary source of income, the construction of the port represents an existential threat. Fishermen argue that the project will destroy crucial fishing zones, disrupt marine biodiversity, and render many of them jobless. Additionally, the planned four-lane road leading to the port has already displaced local vendors and affected small-scale businesses tied to the dried-fish industry. The community fears that further infrastructure development, including a railway line, could lead to mass displacement of around 600 families, stripping them of their ancestral lands and livelihoods.
The destruction of olive ridley turtle nesting sites is another critical concern. The coast of Kasarkod is an ecologically sensitive area, home to annual nesting of these critically endangered sea turtles. Despite documented evidence of nesting activity, the Karnataka High Court dismissed a fishermen-led petition in 2021, citing a flawed report from the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), which failed to account for the nesting season. Activists argue that the government and the courts have colluded to ignore environmental regulations in favour of corporate interests.
Legal and political setbacks
Efforts to halt the port project through legal channels have met repeated setbacks. In addition to the Karnataka High Court ruling, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) rejected a petition challenging the construction of the four-kilometer-long road on the grounds that it violated Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms. Despite mounting evidence of environmental violations, authorities continue to push ahead with the project, disregarding the legitimate concerns of the local community.
The district administration’s use of excessive force to suppress the protest has further deepened the mistrust between the government and the fishing community. Reports suggest that police conducted overnight raids in search of protestors who had spoken to the media, raising concerns about the state’s attempts to silence dissent. The deployment of heavy security forces, including riot police, to facilitate the survey indicates that the state sees its own citizens as obstacles rather than stakeholders in development.
A community’s unwavering resistance
Despite facing repeated crackdowns, legal hurdles, and betrayals by their own representatives, the fishermen of Honnavar refuse to back down. Their struggle has become emblematic of the broader fight against unchecked industrial expansion at the cost of local communities and ecological sustainability. Fishermen leaders have vowed to continue their resistance until the port project is scrapped entirely.
The protests at Kasarkod are not just about a single infrastructure project; they represent a larger battle against corporate encroachment, environmental destruction, and the marginalisation of traditional coastal communities. The state’s heavy-handed approach, marked by repression and disregard for public sentiment, has only strengthened the resolve of the protestors. As the confrontation between the fisherfolk and the government intensifies, it remains to be seen whether the authorities will acknowledge the voices of the people or continue to prioritise industrial interests at their expense.
