Farmers allege lathicharge, lock cops in fertiliser shop

Tensions flared up between farmers and the police during the purchase of DAP fertiliser at a Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) office in Shyamsukh village of the district. The farmers said the fertiliser was in short supply and alleged that the police resorted to a lathicharge when they gathered at the society office.

State president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ratan Maan said farmers were already distressed by crop damage due to the recent heavy rains and waterlogging. “Now, we are facing another crisis — a shortage of fertiliser for the upcoming sowing season,” he said, adding that while the DAP fertiliser was in short supply at the office, mismanagement on part of the authorities led to a volatile situation.

As the crowd grew impatient due to hours of waiting, chaos broke out, after which the police were called. The farmers alleged that the police resorted to a lathicharge, resulting in injuries to one farmer. In protest, a group of farmers locked two police personnel inside the PACS office and staged a protest outside.

Agroha police station incharge Shraddha Singh reached the spot with reinforcements and managed to pacify the farmers. The detained officers were escorted out. Following the incident, the PACS office staff shut down operations for the day and postponed fertiliser distribution to Friday.

Maan condemned the lathicharge, calling it a blatant attack on democratic and constitutional rights. He said it was unfortunate that the farmers were punished for demanding essential inputs for their livelihood.

He accused the government of failing to ensure proper fertiliser distribution and said such actions reflected an anti-farmer mindset and demanded a high-level investigation.

The Congress MLA from the Uklana Assembly constituency, Naresh Selwal, also condemned the incident and demanded an inquiry into the incident.

Police spokesperson Vikas, however, denied the allegations, saying no lathicharge took place.