COIMBATORE: Hundreds of farmers resorted to a ‘waiting protest’ in Tirupur against the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) for allegedly converting ‘inam’ lands (land given as gift) of temples into those without any value (zero value).

Spearheading the protest, Easan Murugasamy, president of Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection Movement, said the HR&CE and Waqf Board is making attempts to snatch away the land rights of farmers and landowners under Tamil Nadu Minor Inams (Abolition and Conversion into Ryotwari) Act 30,1963.

“There were attempts to convert those lands into ‘zero value’, change ‘patta’ and evict farmers, who were carrying out farming in those lands by branding them as encroachers,” he said.

The farmers, who were solely dependent on those lands for their livelihood, were hit by the move of the HR&CE. “All the orders issued by the HR&CE Department on this issue should be revoked. Also, a separate commission should inquire into the issue in order to protect the rights of farmers,” said the protestors.

The protesting farmers also threatened to ‘gherao’ the Secretariat, if the state government does not heed to their demands. A section of farmers tonsured and women made out a scene of ‘oppari’ (expressing grief like in a funeral) at the venue of the protest.

Some farmers also turned up with pillows and mats to hold a waiting protest. Tension prevailed for a while, when police attempted to remove the farmers resulting in a minor scuffle.