Mysore/Mysuru: Tension prevailed for sometime, as farmers made a vain bid to lay siege to Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) Office at Siddarthanagar in the city this morning.

Beginning from today, farmers under the joint aegis of Federation of State Farmers Associations and State Sugarcane Growers Association, Mysuru-Chamarajanagar district, have called for a relay protest, demanding the payment of arrears from Bannari Amman and Mahadeshwara Sugar Factories.

As part of the protest, the farmers earlier began their sit-in demonstration from the area near the statue of late former Chief Minister Devaraj Urs, at the DC office premises. Following the arrival of State Sugarcane Growers Association President Kurbur Shanthakumar, the farmers assembled on the pathway leading to the portico of DC’s Office.

A water pot covered by a white cloth and painted with 3 namaas (vertical lines) in red colour and khali chippu (empty coconut shells), were held by some of the farmers, indicating how farmers are being cheated by sugar factories. Some of the agitators held placards, written with Kannada slogans reading Raitharige Chippu Needuttiruva Sakkare Karkhanegalu… Raithara Daari Thappisuttiruva Jilladhikarigalu…

Eventually, the protesting farmers overpowered the Police by breaking through the barricades installed at the portico and ran towards the main door, only to be stopped by the Police.

They sat on the steps of DC’s Office and raised slogans against the State Government and District Administration. They recalled the promise made by DC Lakshmikanth Reddy, during a meeting held with farmers and representatives of sugarcane factories.

The demands include immediate payment of dues of Rs. 100 additional amount per tonne of sugarcane supplied to factories, restoration of old system of Government bearing the expenses related to akrama-sakrama of irrigation pumpsets, issuance of tiller certificate to farmers tilling the land from 50 years along with simplification of phodi related procedures, prevention of farmers harassment by private moneylenders, One Time Settlement (OTS) for the loan disbursed to farmers at Karnataka Grameen Bank and cancellation of gold loan to farmers on the basis of CIBIL score and restoration of system of renewing gold loan for the farmers after collecting annual interest amount.