MANGALURU: The fast unto death protest started by members of Nethravathi Rakshana Samyukta Samiti against Yettinahole project , near deputy commisioner's office on Friday, lasted for less than four hours.Members of the samiti blamed the city police for not granting them permission to hold the protest. Samiti office bearers had announced earlier that leaders including Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and others will sit on an indefinite fast unto death satyagraha near the deputy commissioner's office urging the government to stop the Yettinahole project. Though the hunger strike was scheduled to begin at 10am, it began by around 11am. However, the indefinite strike was cancelled after police detained around 50 activists at around 2.30pm.In fact, it was the samiti president K Vijayakumar Shetty , a Congress leader, who had applied for police permission to hold an indefinite fast near deputy commissioner's office from February 10 to 16. However, the city police has in its letter dated February 8, had granted permission only to use loud speakers between 10am at 2pm on Friday. In addition, the city police also refused to grant permission for hunger strike citing eight major reasons including inconvenience to general public, especially those visiting the DC office.Though mediapersons sought the reaction of MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and other leaders regarding denial of police permission, they were silent. Kateel also did not address the protesters even when other leaders spoke against the Yettinahole project. Meanwhile, Vijayakumar Shetty, who was spearheading the protests, was absent as he is learnt to have been under treatment in Bengaluru.Soon after police arrived at the protest venue to detain the activists at around 2.30pm, former BJP district president Monappa Bhandary announced that the samiti will intensify the protest in days to come. "The government has not responded to the demands of the people of the coastal districts. We will call for a voluntary bandh against Yettinahole project in Dakshina Kannada district in March when the Karnataka legislature will assemble for the budget session," Bhandary said.Earlier, addressing protesters, Odiyoor Sri Gurudevadatta Samsthanam seer Sri Gurudevananda Swami said the government should conduct a detailed study on the rain pattern in the region and scrap Yettinahole project considering the reduction in rainfall.Kemaru Sandeepani Ashram seer Sri Eesha Vittaladas Swami said the government has ignored the voices of the people of Dakshina Kannada, who were fighting against the project for several years. "We will continue the protest till we get justice," he added.Sri Vajradehi Mutt seer Sri Rajashekharananda Swami and other leaders spoke.

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