By IANS,
Lucknow : Agitated over the government’s sugarcane pricing policy, farmers in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar and Baghpat districts stopped trains, threw stones at cars and buses, blocked highways and clashed with police Thursday, officials said.
Several groups of farmers vandalised property in Muzaffarnagar’s Ahlam town, about 350 km from Lucknow, and also damaged rail tracks there.
“We have deployed additional security forces in the district. Farmers are just not ready to listen to anyone and have threatened to intensify their agitation in the coming days,” Muzaffarnagar Superintendent of Police Raju Babu told reporters.
According to police, angry farmers also blocked the Delhi-Saharanpur highway and other busy roads in Muzaffarnagar, where they damaged a number of public vehicles.
“Irate farmers also stopped a number of trains, including the Delhi-Shamli passenger express and also damaged rail tracks,” Muzaffarnagar Senior Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar told reporters.
The series of violent protests in western Uttar Pradesh started from Ramala town in Muzaffarnagar, where farmers early Thursday convened a village council meeting and decided to carry out protests in different towns, police said.
Farmers in Baghpat district, about 400 km from Lucknow, also resorted to vandalism and forced closure of a number of shops in various parts of the district.
“We have strengthened security in the district, particularly in those areas that have sugar mills,” Superintendent of Police (Baghpat) Deepak Kumar told reporters.
In the last few days, agitated farmers have burnt truckloads of raw sugar in Muzaffarnagar and several other districts in western Uttar Pradesh, police said.
Up in arms against the state government over the state advisory price (SAP) of sugarcane that is fixed between Rs.165 and Rs.170 per quintal, the farmers are demanding that the SAP be set at Rs.280 per quintal.