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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | UP farmers' protest over cane arrears turns violent -Swati Mathur

UP farmers' protest over cane arrears turns violent -Swati Mathur

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published Published on Nov 30, 2013   modified Modified on Nov 30, 2013
-The Times of India


LUCKNOW: A day after sugarcane farmer Satyapal Singh killed himself in Bastauli village of Lakhimpur Kheri, around 200 villagers stormed into the compound of Balrampur Sugar Mill's Buleria unit, protesting against the non-payment of cane arrears.

The farmers, who said they intended to cremate Singh's body at the gates of the sugar mill, also vandalised the factory compound, looted the canteen and beat up the mill's chief security officer, Niwas Kapri.

"On Friday, around 200 farmers arrived at the factory gates and forced their way in," said Buleria unit's chief administrative officer Sudhir Mishra. "They smashed things and injured officials. We had to use water hydrant to disperse the crowds until the police came," he added.

Mishra said all outstanding dues for Satyapal Singh were cleared on April 19, 2013. "He was supplying cane to us under three names: his mother's, wife's and his own name. All dues have been settled," Mishra added.

Satyapal Singh's family accepts the mill doesn't owe them money. However, they pointed out that in his suicide note, Satyapal said he was heavily indebted and had suffered a spinal injury. He wrote he was hanging himself because he couldn't repay the dues of around Rs 2 lakh to banks and cane cooperatives. Mill officials alleged that in light of the deadlock between the government and sugar mills, Congress workers were trying to politicise the issue.

However, Singh's suicide has become a symbol of the industry-government war in which farmer groups have maintained they are worst hit. With mills still holding back crushing, farmers are not only facing the threat of losing input costs on crop but also face heavy losses because of delay in sowing wheat, which starts every year by December 1.

Despite the state government's announcement of sops, the sugar industry refused to dilute its stand on Friday. The Indian Sugar Mill Association (ISMA) said sugar production had dropped in 2013-14 across the country. It also said 208 mills across India haven't started crushing operations until now this season, and that this was largely because of unviable state advisory prices by announced by various governments including UP.

However, some sugar mills in Moradabad and Faizabad announced their decision to begin crushing in the coming week even though the association, as a whole, hadn't agreed to end agitation. Faizabad's KM Sugar Mills started crushing on Friday after talks with Faizabad DM, VM Dwivedi.

Meanwhile, Rashtriya Lok Dal and Congress have announced agitations against the government to cash in on the crisis politically. Ajit Singh's RLD announced a chakka-jaam on December 1 in protest against losses to farmers, and Congress state chief Nirmal Khatri said the party will agitate against the SP government's mishandling of the crisis.


The Times of India, 30 November, 2013, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/UP-farmers-protest-over-cane-arrears-turns-violent/articleshow/26606787.cms


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