Sangli (Maharashtra): A farmer was killed when police opened fire to control a crowd of
farmland activists in Vasgade village in Sangli district Monday
afternoon, police said.
In a related incident, Pundalik Kokate, a farmer, was killed when
a truck ran over him during an agitation in Kolhapur.
The ongoing six-day old farmers' agitation turned violent Monday
when police arrested Raju Shetti, MP and chief of Swabhimani
Shetkari Sanghatana, who served as the leader of the farmers, and
his close associate, Sada Khot.
The two men were arrested from Indapur, Pune district, Monday
morning, just before they were set to launch a state-wide
agitation to block all major roads and highways to press for their
demands.
Shetti has been leading the farmers agitation demanding minimum
support price of Rs.3,000 for sugarcane growers, rattling the
sugar lobby of western Maharashtra, controlled mostly by
Nationalist Congress Party and Congress politicians.
Opposing the arrests, angry mobs of agitating farmers pelted
stones and attacked a police van, while law-enforcers burst
teargas shells and later opened fire in the air to control the
mobs in Sangli district.
However, one of the agitators here, identified as Chandrakant
Nalawade, sustained a bullet injury and later succumbed, a Sangli
district police official told IANS.
The agitation by sugarcane farmers in the state entered the sixth
day Monday. In parts of Sangli, Kolhapur and Satara districts of
western Maharashtra, the protests Monday turned violent.
Farmers staged road blocks, completely stopping incoming and
outbound traffic on the Pune-Bangalore highway, and also in the
three districts.
Several thousands of vehicles and passengers were stranded on all
routes as the agitators attacked some vehicles and torched two
police vehicles.
At least six state transport buses were damaged.
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