Farmers Demand Justice: Sit-In Protest Ignites Tensions

Farmers and Prahar Janshakti Party (PJP) workers, led by Bacchu Kadu, staged a sit-in outside agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate's residence, demanding loan waivers and stopping loan recoveries. With the minister absent, tensions rose, leading to a controversial confrontation with police before dispersing after a phone call with the minister.

In a dramatic demonstration late Friday night, farmers and Prahar Janshakti Party (PJP) members led by former MLA Bacchu Kadu convened outside the residence of state agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate. Their goal: to demand the waiver of farm loans, along with halting forced loan recoveries.

The protest began with a torch rally, culminating at Minister Kokate's doorstep. With the minister out of town, Kadu resolved to await a written commitment from Kokate. A phone call from Kokate, explaining his absence in Sinnar, 25 km away, did little to quell the protesters' determination.

As Kadu and his followers pursued their mission to Sinnar, police intervention revealed the minister's continued absence. A heated argument with law enforcement ensued, captured in a viral video, before a resolute Kadu decided to call off the protest after another conversation with Kokate.

(With inputs from agencies.)