UP Cong chief demands release of farmers 'arrested' over stubble burning

 Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu demanded on Wednesday immediate release of all the farmers who have been allegedly arrested over stubble burning.

Lallu claimed that the state government was lodging cases and harassing farmers in the name of checking the menace of stubble burning.

He claimed that 16 farmers had been sent to jail in Saharanpur alone over the past week, while "hundreds" of others forced to flee to evade arrest, adding that it was "deplorable".

Lallu asked the government to stop the "atrocities" on farmers and instead take steps for resolving their problems, warning that the party would be forced to come onto the streets to protest against the alleged harassment of farmers.