Shiv Sena calls off six-day agitation

Kolhapur, June 18 (UNI) The Shiv Sena has called off its agitation over the demand to release payment to sugarcane farmers.

Sena activists' also ended their hunger strike, which had entered the sixth day today.

The Ichalkaranji division chief of the Shiv Sena Murlidhar Jadhav, took out a morcha to the district collectorate here to attract Maharashtra government's attention to the failure of sugar mills to pay sugarcane farmers an instalment of Rs 380 per tonne.

The activists ended their agitation in the presence of Sena MLC and deputy leader Parshuram Uparkar.

However, Mr Uparkar warned the administration that the party would intensify the agitation if they failed to direct sugar factories to release the payment within five days.

Earlier in the day, about 115 Sena activists led by Mr Uparkar, district Sena chief Rambhau Chavan, Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Sena (BVS) western Maharashtra chief Rajesh Kshirsagar were arrested when they staged a rasta roko at the Pune-Bangalore national highway near Tawade hotel point here. All the arrested activists were released later, sources added.

UNI