Police 'baton-charged' protesting farmers in Buldhana: Maha Congress chief demanding SP suspension

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Sunday accused Buldhana police of unleashing a "brutal baton charge" on farmers during a protest and demanded the suspension of the district superintendent of police (SP).

Patole also demanded that Saturday's baton-charge incident be investigated by a joint committee of the state legislature.

Farmers will teach a lesson to the "anti-farmer" Eknath Shinde-Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state, he claimed while talking to reporters here.

Patole alleged that the Buldhana police "brutally lathi-charged" the farmers on Saturday while they were staging a protest for their demands to get the right price for cotton and soybean and compensation for those deprived of crop insurance.

Congress district president Rahul Bondre and former minister Rajendra Shingane were also stopped by police while they were going to meet the protesting farmers, he claimed.

"Is protesting for your demands a crime in a democratic state? What was the need to lathi-charge? We will not tolerate this bullying by the Shinde-Fadnavis government. The entire case should be thoroughly investigated and action should be taken against the guilty," Patole said.

"The state government has mercilessly attacked the farmers who are fighting for their justice and rights," he alleged. Patole demanded that the Buldhana SP be suspended immediately and the entire matter be investigated by a joint committee of the legislature.

He slammed the Shinde-Fadnavis government and condemned "police atrocities" on the protesting farmers. Farmers are in trouble and are not getting the right price for their produce, he said.

Under the BJP's rule, farming is not affordable anymore due to the high cost of fertilisers, seeds and diesel, he claimed. This (financial) year also, crops were damaged due to natural calamities and farmers from 16 districts suffered damages, he said.