Traders observe bandh in Sangli Dist

Sangli, Maharashtra, Oct 2 (UNI) Traders in the city and some parts of the district observed a bandh today to protest against lathi charge by police on the agitating cane farmers in Shirol and Hatkanangale tehsils of the Kolhapur district last week.

The bandh was called by the Sangli district Swabhimani Shetakari Sanghatana (SSS) unit to condemn the beating of farmers, who were peacefully demanding for the immediate release of the second instalment of Rs 380 per tonne due to them as per the agreement with sugar cooperative management.

The Sanghatana activists even attempted 'rasta roko' at some places.

On Saturday, the agitating cane farmers, along with SSS founder and MLA Raju Shetty, were coming out of the Datta Cooperative Sugar factory at Shirol in Kolhapur district after attending its annual general meeting, when the clash occurred between them and the police.

The clash, however, took an ugly turn, when the farmers, most of them SSS activists, began pelting stones at the police, forcing the latter to resort to lathi-charge twice and burst tear gas shells to disperse the mob. In the violence, some 50 people, including Mr Shetty and few policemen, were injured while large number of vehicles were also damaged.

On Friday, a similar type of clash took place in front of the Jawahar Cooperative Sugar factory, near Hupari, in Hatkanangale tehsil during the factory's annual general meeting.

UNI