On February 4, members of the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) protested in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Hassan. They urged officials to grant land to landless Dalit families from Karekere Kavalu village in Hassan taluk. The protest included KPRS leaders, the Dalit Hakkugala Samiti, and village residents. They staged a dharna and submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner. According to KPRS district president H.R. Naveen Kumar, the state government granted 246 acres of land to 30 Dalit families in Karekere Kavalu in 1966. However, only 10 families took possession and cultivated this land. The other 20 families did not use their land. Meanwhile, 47 landless Dalit families had been cultivating the same land for 60 years without legal ownership. These 47 families have applied for land grants under forms 50, 53, and 57 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act. A few vested interests are trying to evict these farmers. Mr. Kumar said, “These 47 families have no alternative land to cultivate. Considering their long-term possession and cultivation, the government should grant them land by cancelling the previous grants.” The protest was led by Dalit Hakkugala Samiti district president M.G. Pruthvi and village residents including H. Swamy, Panduranga, Devaraju, Sunil, Ravi Kumar, Dharma, and Meenakshi. The demonstration highlights ongoing struggles for land rights by Dalit communities in the area.