Mumbai, December 9
The local administration at Wani town in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district today clamped curfew after cotton growers gheraoed minister Manohar Naik, sent to pacify the farmers.
The situation in the town took a turn for the worse yesterday when angry cotton farmers, unhappy at the government procurement price for the crop, ran riot.
The police opened fire after farmers pelted them and senior officials with stones.
Six persons, including a young girl, sustained bullet injuries.
One of them later died at a hospital.
When Mr Naik went to pacify the farmers today, he was gheraoed and the police used force to disperse the farmers.
With the situation threatening to snowball, curfew was clamped.
Farmers had begun to agitate after the Maharashtra government decided to buy cotton at Rs 1900 per quintal, as against the price of Rs 2700 that they demanded.
They also alleged that government officials appointed to grade the crop demanded bribe from farmers for adequate compensation.
The state government later announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased.
