Police beat back farmers protesting for sugar cane price rise

Police used tear gas, water cannons and batons to beat back hundreds of farmers who intended to march on the Bilawal House on Monday as part of a protest to demand an increase in the procurement price of sugar cane.

On November 29 Sindh Agriculture Minister Suhail Siyal had announced that the government had fixed the sugar cane procurement price at Rs182 per 40 kilograms for the present crushing season.

On Monday nearly 800 growers from various parts of the province gathered at Boat Basin in Clifton to record their protest against the procurement price. From the roundabout, they blocked both tracks leading towards the Bilawal House, a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) office, for all types of vehicles. Carrying banners and placards, they shouted slogans against the Sindh government and demanded increasing the procurement price.

Because of the protesters, the traffic police were forced to close both tracks leading towards the Bilawal House from the Boat Basin roundabout for all types of traffic, diverting all vehicles from Bilawal House to Do Talwar and from Boat Basin to Submarine Chowrangi.

“Police held a dialogue with the protesters to persuade them to clear the roads, but the farmers refused to budge,” said Clifton SP Dr Assad Malhi. “I met with a delegation of growers and warned them to end their protest, as the government had imposed Section 144 in the locality.”

SP Malhi said the protesters ignored him and tried to march on the Bilawal House, a declared red zone, adding that the police initially used batons and tear gas to disperse the farmers, but they regrouped before long.

He said that when the protesters tried to move towards the Bilawal House again, police used water cannons to make them retreat and detained 80 of the demonstrators, adding that two policemen suffered minor injuries during the incident. Police took the detainees to the Boat Basin police station.

South SSP Javed Akbar Riaz said the police had later cleared both tracks of the protesters and opened them for traffic, adding that the detainees were released on the home minister’s directives.

‘Let them all go’

Addressing a news conference at his office, Siyal, who is also the home minister, ordered releasing all the detained farmers, claiming that the protesters who had gathered in Clifton also included Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists.

He said a “grave conspiracy” had been hatched to disturb law and order near the Bilawal House, as not everyone participating in the protest was a representative of the province’s sugar cane growers.

The minister said sugar mills had been facing difficulties because sugar cane grown in Punjab had reached Sindh owing to much lower rate of the plant in the neighbouring province. He said growers were being provided the price of Rs130 per 40 kilograms for sugar cane as compared to Rs182 per 40 kilograms, as fixed by the Sindh government, adding that sugar mill owners across the province had been issued a 15-day notice to start crushing.

Siyal said the provincial administration wanted early resumption of crushing, adding that sugar mills that did not start crushing by December 15 would have to face the government’s wrath. He said the Sindh administration would use all means to protect the interests of the province’s growers, adding that the famers were discontent because of the indifferent attitude of the federal government.

The minister said the PPP opponents in the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) of political parties had two ministers in the federal cabinet and they should raise the farmers’ issue in Sindh at the cabinet level.

‘Dictatorial PPP’

Reacting to the police action against farmers, PTI Karachi President Firdous Shamim Naqvi said the PPP had always behaved in a dictatorial manner with the people of the province.

Condemning the use of force against the demonstrators, Naqvi said protesting was among the basic rights of citizens and a government that did not recognise the rights of the people could not be tolerated. He demanded meeting the farmers’ demands and releasing the detainees.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz also demanded releasing the detained protesters, as it condemned the police action against farmers. Pakistan Muslim League-Functional General Secretary Sardar Rahim asked where the champions of democracy (PPP leaders) had hidden after the use of force against peaceful protesters. He said the government was suppressing the voice of peasants in a bid to please sugar mill owners.

GDA General Secretary and Qaumi Awami Tehreek chief Ayaz Latif Palijo demanded Siyal’s resignation and said a case should be registered against the police officers who were involved in mistreating the protesters.