53 get magisterial custody

Kolhapur, Sep 30 (UNI) A local court today sentenced 53 persons, arrested in connection with a clash between Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS)-led farmers and police in Shiorl tehsil of the district yesterday, to magisterial custody.

Around 50 people, including SSS chief MLA Raju Shetty, his supporters, most of them farmers, and some policemen were injured in stone-pelting incident. The police resorted to lathi charge and held 53 persons in this connection. They all were produced before the local court today.

The SSS led the farmers agitation in support of their demand for the release of the second instalment of Rs 380 per tonne of cane due to them, as per the agreement. The farmers and Mr Shetty were returning after attending the annunal general meeting of the Datta Cooperative Sugar factory in Shirol tehsil, when the clash took place, police sources said.

The agitation took an ugly turn and to quell it, the police had to resort to lathi-charge twice. The police even burst teargas shells to disperse the stone-pelting mob, in which large number vehicles were also damaged yesterday.

The situation in Shirol tehsil is still tense but it is totally under control, the sources added.

Earlier on Friday, the agitation by farmers witnessed heavy stone pelting during the annual meeting of the Jawahar Cooperative Sugar factory at Hupari in the district, where clash took place between the agitating farmers and factory supporters. After the clash, the agitating members went on rampage and damaged divisional agriculture offices of the factory for opening the offices in ten different villages in Shirol tehsil.

UNI