Maha Elgar Morcha farmers defy HC order, continue highway protest in Nagpur

The agitation, which has paralysed traffic on the busy highway for two days, prompted the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court to take suo motu cognisance of the blockade on Wednesday

NAGPUR: Defying a high court order and braving the incessant rains, the farmers’ agitation led by former Maharashtra minister and Prahar Janshakti Party chief Bachchu Kadu continued for the second consecutive day on the Nagpur-Hyderabad National Highway near Jamtha. The protesters, however, have agreed to hold talks with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Thursday to press their demand for a complete farm loan waiver.

Nagpur, Oct 29 (ANI): Prahar Janshakti Party chief Bachchu Kadu address "Maha Elgar Morcha", in Nagpur on Wednesday. (ANI Photo) (Snehal Sontakke)

The decision came after a late-night meeting between farmer leaders and the chief minister’s emissaries—ministers of states Pankaj Bhoyar and Ashish Jaiswal—at the protest site on the highway on Wednesday night. Following the discussions and a telephonic conversation with revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Kadu announced that a delegation of farmer leaders would meet Fadnavis.

The Prahar Janshakti Party chief cautioned that if the government failed to announce a total loan waiver, the agitation would continue indefinitely. “If the demands are not met, we will intensify the agitation and launch a ‘Rail Roko’ protest from tomorrow,” he warned.

The agitation, which has paralysed traffic on the busy highway for two days, prompted the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court to take suo motu cognisance of the blockade on Wednesday. The court expressed serious concern over the hardship caused to the public, including commuters, patients, women and children, as traffic snarls stretched over 20 kilometres, affecting access to Nagpur Airport, the National Cancer Institute and the Samruddhi Mahamarg.

Justice Rajnish Vyas, who heard the matter, observed, “The extreme inconvenience suffered by the public due to the blockade of National Highway 44 cannot be ignored. While the right to protest is recognised, public roads are primarily meant for free movement and essential services. Blocking them without proper permission is a violation of the fundamental rights of citizens.”

The court noted that Kadu had received permission on October 26 from the Beltarodi Police Station to hold the agitation only on October 28 at Mouza Parsodi near the Cotton Research Centre. “Prima facie, it is clear that the protest continued beyond the permitted area and date, thereby increasing public hardship,” it said.

Justice Vyas directed Kadu and his supporters to vacate the highway immediately and warned of stern action in case of damage to public property. He also authorised the Nagpur police commissioner, superintendent of police, and additional director-general of police (Highway Traffic) to restore normal traffic by 6 pm on Wednesday, and file a compliance report by 11 am on Thursday.

The judge further instructed that senior citizens, women, children and specially abled persons among the protesters be removed “with dignity”, while empowering the police to act against violators who exceeded the permitted scope of the protest.

Citing public interest and safety concerns and noting that the blockade had also obstructed ambulances and police vehicles, the bench remarked, “Public streets and highways serve social interests that outweigh the unrestricted exercise of freedom of assembly.” The order referenced similar directions issued by the Bombay high court’s principal bench in the Maratha reservation protest case involving Manoj Jarange-Patil.

The Kadu-led Maha Elgar Morcha, a tractor rally from Amravati to Nagpur, was joined by thousands of farmers demanding a total loan waiver, guaranteed minimum support prices and soybean procurement through NAFED. The procession reached the outskirts of Nagpur at around 3.30 pm on Tuesday, where the police stopped it near the Cotton Research Institute. Protesters said they had brought food supplies sufficient for 15 days and would not move until their demands were fulfilled.

Nagpur, the geographical centre of India and the hometown of chief minister Fadnavis, has thus become the epicentre of this growing farmers’ unrest.