BKU leader stages protest after finding sugarcane board office locked

Rakesh Tikait, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, staged a sit-in protest after discovering the Ganna Bhawan—the office of the National Sugarcane Research Institute—locked on Thursday. The demonstration highlighted farmer frustrations over the central government's handling of sugarcane sector issues.

Tikait's protest came ahead of a farmers' mahapanchayat scheduled for Friday, where agricultural representatives from across India were expected to converge to press their demands. The gathering has been called to address persistent grievances in the sugarcane farming community, particularly regarding pricing mechanisms and government support.

Among the key issues the farmers plan to raise are demands for higher minimum support prices for sugarcane, improved payment systems for cane suppliers, and regulatory reforms in the sugar sector. The mahapanchayat represents part of ongoing efforts by farmer unions to seek direct engagement with government authorities on agricultural policy matters.

The locked office incident underscores tensions between farmer groups and state institutions over sugarcane-related concerns. Agricultural representatives have increasingly used public demonstrations and collective gatherings to amplify their demands during policy negotiations.