Highways leading into Nagpur erupted in unrest this week as hundreds of farmers, led by former MLA Bacchu Kadu under the Maha-Elgar Morcha banner, marched to demand immediate relief after unseasonal rains wreaked havoc on Maharashtra’s agrarian sector.

The protest, which began as a tractor rally from Amravati on October 27, reached the city a day later, blocking the Nagpur-Wardha road near the Jamtha flyover and paralysing traffic for hours.

Police rescued more than 800 commuters stranded on the Nagpur-Hyderabad highway overnight as the agitation intensified.

The protest stems from extensive crop losses triggered by unseasonal rains that have battered large parts of the state this month. Preliminary assessments indicate that nearly 29 districts have been affected, with over 68 lakh hectares of farmland damaged.

In Marathwada alone, spanning districts like Latur, Beed, Parbhani and Jalna, nearly 1.75 million hectares of crops have been devastated.

Both standing and harvested produce have suffered, as heavy downpours left even sun-drying yields soaked and unsellable.

In Latur, a farmer named Suresh Chauhan broke down in tears after watching the soybean crop he had spent months cultivating get washed away in two days of relentless rain. The water flooded his fields, destroying what little he had managed to harvest and leaving him with nothing to sell in the market.

Similar scenes have played out across the state. In Nagpur, another farmer, faced with a ruined four-acre soybean crop, set his field ablaze in frustration, saying he had no other way to express his helplessness.

Many others have spoken of being unable to celebrate Diwali this year, as the loss of their crops and the delay in government assistance have left them without the means or spirit for festivity.

The protesters’ demands reflect the scale of their despair: a complete farm loan waiver, prompt and increased compensation for crop damage, a guaranteed Minimum Support Price for crops, and a monthly allowance of Rs 6,000 for the disabled.

The agitation has found backing from multiple political outfits, including the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), All India Kisan Sabha of the CPM, and Raju Shetty’s party, signalling a growing coalition of rural discontent.

The government has responded with cautious optimism.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said his administration has begun disbursing a Rs 32,000-crore relief package for affected farmers and remains “positive” about finding a solution through dialogue. He appealed to the demonstrators to refrain from disrupting public life and engage in talks.

On Wednesday, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court intervened, ordering the protestors to vacate the site by 6 PM.

Following a phone conversation between Bacchu Kadu and the chief minister, the agitation was temporarily called off, with the two scheduled to meet in Mumbai on Thursday.

Nagpur City Police Commissioner Ravinder Singal informed the HC on Thursday that normal traffic on the national highway and other blocked roads was restored peacefully.

The commissioner, in his affidavit, said that as per media reports, Kadu has now called for a subsequent 'rail roko' (rail traffic blockade) in case of failure of talks planned with the authorities concerned.

The commissioner sought the court to pass an order restraining Kadu from doing so, as it may cause a serious law and order situation.

Kadu has said he will meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Thursday evening for a discussion over his demands.

His advocate Hariom Dhage told the court that the PJP leader has taken a decision to cancel the "rail roko andolan".

The HC accepted the statement as an undertaking and said a good gesture on Kadu's part would certainly set an example.

The bench, in its order, said it is concerned about the safety and rights of citizens.

"If there is any apprehension that free movement of railway traffic will also be affected, then there is no option but to issue notice to the departments concerned," the court said.

The bench issued notices to the Ministry of Railways, Central Railway authorities in Nagpur, the Railway Protection Force and the Government Railway Police.

"All the authorities - police department, railway department and local administration - shall act as a team to ensure that no untoward incident takes place and citizens are not inconvenienced," HC said.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing on Friday.

The reprieve may be short-lived. Farmers have warned that if the meeting fails to yield a satisfactory outcome, the protest will resume on October 31.