Farmers and activists halt Delhi-bound 'Kanda Express' over spoiled onions
On Wednesday, August 26, farmers and activists paused the Delhi-bound Kanda Express at Nashik's Lasalgaon station, saying the train was being loaded with spoiled onions instead of good-quality produce procured from farmers.
Led by Prahar Janshakti Party's north Maharashtra chief Ganesh Nimbalkar, they blocked the tracks and called for more transparency about what was actually being shipped.
Police detain protesters, train leaves 450t
The protest held up the train until police stepped in and detained the protesters.
In the end, Kanda Express left with just 450 metric tons of onions, way less than its planned 840 metric tons, because of delays in packing, grading and loading.
This train is part of a government push to bring down rising onion prices (now ₹60-70 per kg in some places) by moving buffer stock from Lasalgaon to Delhi.