At least four persons all jute growers were killed and several injured when police opened fire on a large group of farmers who had turned unruly and started attacking policemen at Besimari in Darrang district of northern Assam on Monday. The jute growers who were demanding an increase in price for their produce,initially blocked NH-52 at Besimari,about 25 km from Mangaldoi,the district headquarters,and later began stoning stranded vehicles and attacked policemen. A magistrate and a Deputy SP on duty initially tried to organise a meeting between the farmers and representatives of the Jute Corporation of India. But the farmers refused to accept the minimum price fixed by the JCI and turned violent. They pelted stones at vehicles stranded on the highway and attacked the magistrate and police, K Kalita,Deputy Commissioner of Darrang,said over the telephone. While police first resorted to a lathicharge and then used tear-gas,they had to finally open fire when the DySP,the magistrate and a few policemen were seriously injured in the stone-pelting,Kalita said. Four jute farmers were killed and nine injured admitted to the Civil Hospital at Mangaldoi. The incident occurred at around noon. Kalita said while the JCI had fixed jute prices at Rs 1350-Rs 1675 per quintal,private buyers were offering the farmers only around Rs 700 to Rs 800 per quintal. But even as we tried to get the farmers the price fixed by JCI,the farmers wanted even more than that, Kalita said. Other sources,on the other hand,said as the JCI or other government agencies do not procure jute,the farmers are perennially at the mercy of the private buyers. Last week the private traders even tried to push the farmers into a distress-sale situation by refusing to lift even a single bale.
