Srinagar, Aug 16: Police on Sunday detained several PDP workers who were protesting along with farmers against the Jammu and Kashmir government’s alleged failure to implement crop insurance scheme at Shopian district, officials said.
PDP workers and some farmers assembled at Shopian town and raised slogans against the Omar Abdullah led government for failing to implement the cheme, the officials said.
The protestors claimed that weather vagaries like heavy rainfall and hailstorms have severely damaged the horticulture and agriculture crops in Shopian district this year, they said.
Police asked the protestors to disperse peacefully as they did not have the permission for the event, the officials added.
However, the demonstrators refused to disperse following which police detained several protestors, they said.
Former PDP MLA Aijaz Ahmad Mir claimed that he was placed under house arrest ahead of the planned protest.
“Despite being placed under house detention today, the voice of our farmers could not be silenced. Hundreds of fruit growers gathered at Ghanta Ghar, Shopian, and peacefully protested in support of our genuine demands,” Mir posted on X.
He said the overwhelming participation of farmers has once again demonstrated that the demand for a crop insurance scheme for apples and cherries is not an individual’s issue but the collective voice of thousands of growers across the region.
“The protesters also demanded full compensation for farmers affected by recent hailstorms and other natural calamities,” he added.
