Gopinath Munde hurt in police caning

Mumbai, May 19 (UNI) Bharatiya Janata Party national general secretary Gopinath Munde was among others who were injured in a police lathi-charge today during a sugarcane farmers' agitation in Aurangabad district.

Mr Munde received was hit on his right hand on which he had undergone a surgery last January. Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council Pandurang Phundkar was also hurt in the police caning, a BJP release here today said.

Mr Munde, Mr Phundkar and several other BJP legislators were later arrested, the release said.

The BJP had led a ''burn sugarcane'' agitation in Aurangabad to highlight the plight of sugarcane growrs whose crop is likely to remain uncrushed by sugar mills this season, causing the farmers huge losses.

Meanwhile, state BJP president Nitin Gadkari has criticised the state government for the lathi-charge on the farmers and alleged that the government has done nothing to solve the problems of the sugarcane growers.

UNI