Members of farmer outfit vandalized the office of private finance firm at Loha in Nanded on Monday.
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Anger over alleged coercive loan recovery from farmers, despite the ongoing drought , spilled onto the streets on Monday as activists of the Rayat Krantikari Shetkari Sanghatana vandalised the offices of two major finance firms at Loha in Nanded district , around 270 km from here. Agents of private finance companies are reaching villages as early as 8 am and harassing farmers for loan recovery,” he said. Police have invoked sections 324 (mischief as intentional act of causing wrongful loss or damage to any property), 331 (lurking house-trespass) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the BNS, among other charges.
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The organisation said the action followed multiple complaints from farmers about harassment by recovery agents. The protesters also raised slogans in support of their leader, Ravikant Tupkar, who had recently warned of “erasing” offices of finance firms if they continued to harass farmers. District unit chief of the Sanghatana Balasaheb Jadhav said the offices were attacked after the organisation’s leaders visited the finance firms but did not receive a satisfactory response to complaints of harassment. Jadhav said pressure from recovery agents had become so intense that many farmers and their family members were leaving their homes to avoid harassment. Superintendent of Police (SP) for Nanded Nilabh Rohan said an offence has been registered against four people in connection with the vandalism incidents. Out of four accused, one has been detained and manhunt is on for the remaining three,” he told TOI .
Workers of the farmer outfit targeted the two offices with sticks, damaging doors, tables, computers and furniture. “If agents of finance companies continue to go to villages and forcibly recover loans from farmers, we will intensify our agitation and even set fire to their offices. The deaths of two farmers, Chandrakant Shinde of Nanded and Dattatray Kumbhar of Latur, are being linked to harassment by microfinance recovery agents. The vandalism occurred against this backdrop. “Both finance firms have registered separate complaints and the accused are common in both cases. Download the TOI App.