Civil society groups in Karnataka have accused authorities of suppressing protests by local fishing communities while allowing construction on the controversial Honnavar Port project to continue, according to a fact-finding report released on Tuesday in Bengaluru.
The report, “Eroding Shores, Silenced Protests: A Fact-Finding Report of the Honnavar Port Project,” was published jointly by the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Fridays For Future Karnataka, and the People’s Union for Civil Liberties–Karnataka (PUCL-K). It documents alleged human rights violations, unlawful detentions, and environmental damage linked to the commercial port’s construction in the Uttara Kannada district.
Veteran social activist Medha Patkar, who launched the report, questioned the government’s definition of development and urged authorities to protect the livelihoods of fishing families affected by the project. “If we call this development, then it is development at whose cost, but also whose benefit?” she said, adding that the community’s traditional livelihoods are sustainable and women-centred.
“We have met the Chief Minister today, along with the Chief Secretary, Ms. Shalini Rajneesh, the CEO of the Maritime Board and an authority from the Department of Infrastructures and Port. The CM has promised that he would look into the issue and has mentioned that the false FIRs against the fisherfolk of Honavar will be withdrawn,” Patkar said during the report launch.
The report alleges that Honnavar Port Private Limited (HPPL) began developing the port without the informed consent of residents in five fishing villages — Tonka 1, Tonka 2, Pavinkurva, Mallukurva, and Honnavar Rural — and without adhering to environmental safeguards. It also cites police violence during peaceful protests, intimidation through surveillance, and what it calls “false criminal cases” filed against demonstrators.
Community members described harassment by officials, including home visits, arrests, and surveys conducted under heavy police presence. “They have slapped 32 false cases on me alone to intimidate us into submission,” said Rajesh Tandel, president of the Karavalli Meenugaarara Karmikara Sangha, a local fishers’ association.
“We come from the fishing community. We are hardworking people, and we don’t know any other way of life other than fishing and selling our catch. Abruptly, in 2016, surveyors came in one day with talks of a ’project’. They forcibly demolished the area we used to dry fish. This woke us up to the harsh realities this project would inflict on us and our livelihoods. If they relocate us, where would we go? What work would we do?,” questioned Rihana, a community member of Tonka village.
The report warns that the port’s construction — including breakwaters and a four-kilometre link road to National Highway 66 — threatens the Sharavathi estuary ecosystem, which supports local fisheries and serves as a nesting ground for the endangered Olive Ridley turtle.
The report’s authors have called for the withdrawal of criminal cases against protesters, accountability for police violence, and the revocation of the port’s environmental clearance.
Patkar said the fact-finding team had met Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who assured them he would review the issue and consider withdrawing the cases against fishers.
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