Chaka Jam stir over demand for farm loan waiver

Bhubaneswar: Several peasant bodies on Friday observed a two-hour ‘Chaka Jam’ agitation on national highways across the state to press for various demands, including waiver of agricultural loans.
Expressing solidarity with the bandh call given by All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha (AIKMS), representatives of different farmers’ units and that of Navairman Krushak Sangathan (NKS) blocked major intersections in the state capital, including Master Canteen Square, Jayadev Vihar and Chandrasekharpur, by burning tyres.
They also staged rail-roko agitation at Bhubaneswar Railway Station.
“We demand immediate arrest of policemen responsible for the death of six agitating farmers at Mandsuar in Madhya Pradesh and price, prestige and pension for farmers,” said NKS advisor Soumya Ranjan Patnaik.
Similar protests were also organized at various places of the state including NH-49 in Keonjhar district, NH-55 near Siminai in Dhenkanal district, Kapilash in Rayagada and Satyabadi in Puri.