Ayyakannu-led farmers stage nude protest at Kisan rally

IANS photo

New Delhi: A group of farmers from Tamil Nadu on Friday staged a 'nude protest' at the Kisan rally on Parliament Street here by lying in front of the stage after placing bones and human skulls on their bodies.

About 1,300 members of the National South Indian River Interlinking Farmers Association reached the national capital in the early hours of Thursday and were carrying seven skulls and bones, said their leader P Ayyakannu.

He said the skulls and bones were of the farmers who committed suicide.

Nine farmers, without clothes, lay down in front of the stage by keeping bones on their bodies, and demanded profitable price for agricultural produce, waiver of loans, interlinking of rivers and pension for farmers over 60 years.

Ayyakannu claimed that they also ran in front of the stage to press for their demands.

They are among the thousands of farmers, who marched to Ramlila Ground on Thursday and to Parliament Street on Friday, to press for their demands of debt relief and remunerative prices for their produce.

"Our main agricultural activities include paddy cultivation, cotton farming, horticultural activities like coconut cultivation and banana cultivation. More than 700 farmers have committed suicide in Tamil Nadu due to loans they could not repay. We have no water and have been suffering from drought like situations for the last five years. This year, too, we suffered due to storms," the protesting farmers said. 

The farmers-led by Ayayakannu had raised eyebrows when they protested at Jantar Mantar last year with the protestors wearing 'garlands of skulls', stripping naked and drinking urine.