Farmers call for a shutdown after police firing in Armoor

Armoor (Andhra Pradesh), June 17 : Farmers of Armoor town in Andhra Pradesh called a shut down today against the police firing and disrupted normal life.

Police in the area had opened fire in the air during the protest of farmers who had attacked the house of a fertilizer vendor.

Four farmers were injured and were admitted to a state hospital in Nizamabad.

The president of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) K Chandrashekara Rao visited the injured farmers in the hospital and condemned the police firing.

"We strongly condemn the police firing. All that the farmers wanted was 'biju' (seeds). The Chief Minister claims to be a protagonist of farmer's cause whereas he and his government machinery are insensitive to the problems encountered by the farmers. Be it the seeds or the fertilisers, it is the vested interest of banks, moneylenders and hoarders who rule the roost," said K Chandrashekara Rao.

On Monday more than a thousand farmers had ransacked the house of a local seed dealer Mahipal Reddy and set the belongings on fire.

The farmers accused the dealer of hoarding seeds.

When police tried to stop the protesters, they retaliated by pelting stones on the police. The mob also torched a police vehicle. A police sub-inspector was injured.

Police then opened fire in the air to drive away the agitators.

Additional police forces have been deployed in Armoor to maintain law and order.

ANI