TIRUCHY: Tension prevailed in Thanjavur when the farmers staged a protest on Monday, demanding a revised crop loan waiver and condemning Mekedatu dam construction, as a scuffle erupted between the police and the farmers when they attempted to arrest them.
After the state government announced a crop loan waiver with certain conditions and categorising the farmers as small and marginal, the farmers' associations opposed the announcement and demanded that the loan waiver patterns of the previous governments be followed, and announced a statewide protest on Monday.
As per the schedule, a section of farmers led by the Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Association president Palaniappan assembled in front of the Thanjavur collectorate and staged a protest against the state government.
Though they attempted to march towards the collectorate, and soon, the police who were on duty stopped them from moving further. However, the farmers attempted to block the vehicle movement, and soon, the police tried to arrest them, resulting in a minor scuffle.
While the situation turned worse, Palaniappan asked the police to allow them to submit a petition to the Collector, but the police pushed a few farmers, including Palaniappan. This led to an argument, and the farmers staged a sit-in protest before police forcibly removed them.
Later, the police allowed only five farmers, including Palaniappan, who submitted a petition with the district collector R Revathi in which they stated that the Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had deceived the farmers and demanded that the crop loan waiver be revised.