Farmers’ protest postponed after assurance of compensation for goat losses

BJP farmers' wing president postpones protest after assurance of compensation for farmers affected by stray dog attacks.

BJP farmers’ wing president G.K. Nagaraj said that the farmers’ protest was temporarily postponed after Minister for Housing and Urban Development S. Muthusamy assured compensation for farmers who lost their goats to stray dog attacks.

In a release, he claimed that over 600 goats were killed by stray dogs in Erode and Tiruppur districts, forcing farmers to protest. Despite the District Collector’s year-long assurance of compensation, no relief was provided. Farmers also criticised the lack of stray dog control, while cases were filed against 20 individuals for chasing them away.

Mr. Nagaraj said farmers staged a road blockade with the carcasses, accusing the DMK government of failing to protect them and their livestock. He alleged that Minister for Information and Publicity M.P. Saminathan focused on suppressing the protest rather than addressing the issue, prompting BJP functionaries to submit a petition to the Erode District Collector on February 17.

The petition stated that a team led by Mr. Nagaraj met Mr. Muthusamy in Erode, who assured them he would escalate the issue to the Chief Minister and secure compensation within 15 days. He also promised a team from Madurai would capture stray dogs and secure enclosures would be designed to protect farms.