Shiv Sena party workers and leaders vandalized the office of insurance company IFFCO Tokio in Pune on Wednesday, protesting the delay in disbursement of insurance amounts to farmers affected by unseasonal rains. The farmers in several parts of Maharashtra have suffered significant losses due to the heavy rains that have damaged their Kharif crops, including soybean, jowar, maize, and cotton. The protesters, numbering around 35, stormed into the IFFCO Tokio office, located in Koregaon Park, and ransacked the premises, damaging nearly 45 laptops and desktops, 10 printers, and injuring a watchman.
The Shiv Sena party has been actively involved in supporting the affected farmers, with its chief Uddhav Thackeray and Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray visiting the rain-affected regions to assess the situation. The state government has announced a relief package of Rs 10,000 crore for the affected farmers, but the opposition party, NCP, has deemed it insufficient and is demanding a relief package of at least Rs 25,000 crore.
IFFCO Tokio released a statement clarifying that it has not participated in the crop insurance scheme in Maharashtra for the current year and has already paid all eligible claims for the previous season. The company expressed surprise at the vandalism, stating that the protesters did not discuss their grievances or issues before resorting to violence.
The incident highlights the growing desperation and frustration among farmers in Maharashtra, who are struggling to cope with the losses caused by the unseasonal rains. In the past four days, at least ten cases of farmer suicides have been reported from the Marathwada region, underscoring the need for urgent action to address the crisis. Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has directed the state government to convene a meeting with insurance companies to expedite the disbursal of claims for crop damage, in an effort to provide relief to the affected farmers.