Landless farmers demand stage dharna at IOCL plant

Paradip: Thousands of landless farmers, including women, staged an indefinite agitation in front of the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) plant here on Tuesday protesting against the dilly-dallying attitude of IOCL officials in fulfilling their long-standing demands.

Reports said the landless farmers, under the banner of Jamihara Ekata Krushak Manch, arrived at the plant in the morning and closed all the gates. Later, they blocked the road leading to the administrative block of the plant and staged a sit-in dharna preventing the entry of plant officials.

The agitating farmers said unless the plant officials fulfill their two major demands, they would continue their indefinite agitation.

The two demands are permanent appointment of one of the family members of the landless farmers and action against IOCL officials and staffs and the CISF personnel for misbehaving with contractual female workers.

To ward off any untoward incident, four platoons of armed police forces have been deployed near the plant site.