Dairy farmers continue stir; 2 held for blocking milk tankers

Two people were arrested today in Satara district of Maharashtra for trying to stop vehicles carrying milk as the protest by dairy farmers to demand a hike in procurement price entered the second day.

Dairy farmers are staging protests in several parts of the state since yesterday, demanding a higher purchase price and a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre for milk.

As part of the stir, protesters have been stopping tankers filled with milk and emptying them on roads.

In Satara district of western Maharashtra, two persons who were trying to stop vehicles carrying milk were arrested, a police official of Karad said.

He said the arrested duo included the Satara district president of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna.

As the stir continued, authorities moved to take action against protesters trying to disrupt milk supply to various cities.

Since yesterday, at least 13 offences were registered against protesters across the state and this figure may rise, police said today.

The offences were registered by the police in the districts of Pune, Osmanabad, Buldhana, Ahmednagar, Nashik Kolhapur, Sangli, Aurangabad and Solapur, an official said.

The protest is being spearheaded by the Swambhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS), a farmer organisation led by Member of Parliament Raju Shetti. The outfit has appealed to farmers to stop milk supply to major cities.

Shetti, along with a group of supporters, today visited Dapchari check post at Talasari in adjoining Palghar district to see if any milk tankers were heading towards Mumbai, a local police officer said.

The check post is located on the Maharashtra-Gujarat border.