One dead, three injured in police firing on agitators

Hubli, June 10 (UNI) One person was killed and three other injured when police opened fire to quell a rampaging group of farmers in Haveri town, about 75 km from here today.

The agitation against shortage of chemical fertilisers which saw farmers torching three buses and the vehicle of a DCP in Dharwad city yesterday spread four towns of Haveri and some places in Gadag districts.

After lathi charge and bursting of tear gas proved futile police opened fire against the large group of people which also included farmers who came to the town to buy fertilisers and sowing seeds today.

The farmers had collected coupons during the last three days for buying fertilisers and had come to the town to collect it.

The farmers had been on war path in many parts of the state after they found it hard to find fertilisers due to a shortage.

The injured were rushed to the government hospital and from there to Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences here.

Inspector General of Police Auradkar is camping at Haveri and additional forces have been deployed in the trouble torn area.

The situation was tense but under control now, official sources claimed while speaking to UNI over telephone.

Police burst tear gas shells at Bankapur and Motebennur towns of Haveri district and resorted to lathicharge to quell mobs of farmers at Shiggaon towns, as farmers agitating over inadequate supply of fertiliser and seeds pelted stones.

According to reports reaching here, farmers who were staging rasta roko at several places in these towns gathered at a central place by afternoon and started pelting stones at Bankapur and Motebennur towns while they went on looting the fertiliser shops at Shiggaon all in Haveri district.

Traffic on NH four connection Bangalore with Pune was severely affected with thousands of vehicles stranded at different points in Haveri and Dharwad distrticts.

Senior police officials along with additional forces reached these towns and brought the situation under control. However tension continued to prevail in Haveri district.

UNI MNP RS SKB1809