Fresh incidents of violence have been reported from Maharashtra during a bandh called by Shiv Sena condemning the killing of a farmer in police firing.
Protesting farmers torched a bus and other vehicles in Satara demanding more price for sugarcane.A farmer was killed in police firing at Nandre village in Sangli district of Maharashtra on Monday when protests turned violent.
Farmers are protesting against refusal of cooperative sugar factories in Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur districts of western Maharashtra to give Rs 3,000 per ton as first advance on sugarcane purchase this season.
Factories have agreed to pay Rs 2,300 per ton.Meanwhile, a local court in Pune remanded farmers’ leader Raju Shetty in magisterial custody.Shetty was arrested in connection with Monday’s violent protests by farmers on Monday.
Farmers had staged road blockades at various places in western part of the state, as per the appeal made by Raju Shetty, MP and leader of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana.Meanwhile social activist Anna Hazare has extended his support to the “justful” cause of sugarcane growers in Maharashtra.
Hazare condemned the firing incident in Sangli district and accused the state government of turning this year’s Diwali “black” for protesting farmers.