Armoor farmers prevented from marching towards Hyderabad

NIZAMABAD :The padayatra held by turmeric and red jowar farmers from Armoor to Hyderabad on Tuesday had to move through a rough patch as the police decided to face the protestors on street. The padayatra, while in Nizamabad, had encounters with the force at different points of National Highway 44. The protest was held as reiteration of their demand to set a minimum support price (MSP) of `15,000 for turmeric and `3,500 for red jowar.

Since police had information about the yatra beforehand, it had deployed a huge force to confront the protesters. The police had even taken a few farmers from Armoor into preventive custody stating that it was to avoid mishappenings of any kind. At some points the police tried to negotiate, whereas at some other points they allegedly threatened the protesters.

Mamidipally cross-road was a key landmark in the route, from where several farmers were held. Groups of farmers from Argul and Mupkal too were detained at Sikindrapur and Srirampur respectively. The police had even arranged barricades to stop the farmers from moving forward at several points. Following the rush and stress on road, traffic was diverted at many places.