SS leader Sharad Joshi detained at Sangli

Kolhapur, Nov 16 (UNI) Shetkari Sanghatana (SS) founder Sharad Joshi was today detained by the police as a ''preventive measure,'' before he could commence his indefinite hunger strike, near Islampur town in Sangli district.

Mr Joshi was on his way to Kolhapur to launch an indefinite hunger strike from today, in support of his party's demand that the government give the sugarcane farmers a fixed price of at least Rs 1,800 per tonne of sugarcane, as first installment, and Rs 2,200 as the second installment, party sources said.

After his detention, Mr Joshi was taken to a private hospital in Islapur for a medical check-up. The check-up indicated that Mr Joshi was suffering from low-blood pressure, police said.

Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and the Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil have been informed of the incident and efforts are underway to shift Mr Joshi to a Pune hospital for further medical attention, the Sangli district collector said.

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