Western Maharashtra remains tense on Day 4

Various districts of western Maharashtra remained tense on Thursday as the farmers’ agitation for higher minimum support price (MSP) of sugarcane entered into the fourth day.

The strike, called by the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana,  had turned violent on Monday when two farmers were killed. The situation has since remained tense in districts like Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur.

There was an incident of police firing in Ashta in Sangli district on Wednesday in which one farmer was injured. After the police firing in Ashta, the police received a call from an unknown person who threatened to set the district collectorate on fire, prompting the administration to deploy additional police force at the office in Sangli. Sangli district superintendent of police Dilip Sawant was present in Ashta to monitor the law and order situation.

Meanwhile, opposition leader of BJP Eknath Khadse visited the family of Eknath Nalawade who was killed in the police firing on Monday in Sangli and donated Rs1 lakh to the bereaved family.
Blaming the state government for letting the situation get out of hand, Khadse demanded a judicial inquiry into the police firing incident.