By IANS,
Raipur: About 3,000 of an estimated 5,000 paddy farmers who gathered in Chhattisgarh capital Thursday for a protest at the state assembly complex, were arrested.
Police had made the preventive arrests when the farmers, who came in here from across the state, were heading towards the assembly complex for a protest in a bid to exert pressure on the state’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to concede their demands, including for higher prices for their produce and free electricity.
Police had put up a number of barricades on roads leading to the state assembly building, which is about 12 km away from the capital.
The protest call was given by the Sanjukat Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella organisation of farmers’ associations.
“Police had forcibly arrested thousands of farmers and denied us to stage demonstration before state assembly. But we will not give up our protests till state government honours its commitments, mainly to provide a bonus of Rs.270 a quintal to farmers, free electricity to five horse power irrigation pumps and interest free loans,” Virendra Pandey of the SKM told reporters here.