Washim, Oct 30 The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Friday held a protest in Maharashtra’s Washim district seeking immediate relief for drought-hit farmers, including assistance of Rs 1 lakh per hectare.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party’s workers protested at the Vanoja interchange of Samruddhi Expressway in Mangrulpur taluka.
They tried to reach the expressway to block traffic, managing to cross some barricades on the way to the Mumbai-bound carriageway, but were stopped by police. It also led to some scuffles between police and protesters.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Nitin Deshmukh said the Mahayuti government must provide immediate relief to farmers affected by drought, including financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh per hectare.
Kharif crops have been destroyed due to lack of rain, leaving farmers with spiralling expenses and uncertainty, he added.
Over 10,000 farmers from across Vidarbha took part in the protest, and many were beaten up by police, he claimed.
“The next phase of the agitation would involve blocking railway services passing through Vidarbha,” Deshmukh warned.
Nearly 1,500 police personnel from Washim and four neighbouring districts were deployed along with State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) units to prevent any untoward incident and ensure traffic on the expressway remained uninterrupted, officials said.
Deshmukh and several other Shiv Sena (UBT) functionaries were detained and then released at 5pm, they added.
(PTI News)
