Video Input: Chandan Pandey
Producer: Piyush Rai
Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam
English Script: Saurabh Pal
Acres of land cultivating paddy crop was prematurely harvested and cleared ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally scheduled on Monday, 25 October in Mehandiganj, Varanasi.
The venue prepared for the PM's rally is spread over 40 bighas of land.
According to farmers in the area, the local administration has offered unfair compensation for harvesting a semi-ripe crop. They also fear that the clearing for the land will render it infertile for the next three-four years.
Meanwhile, the administration has claimed that certain Twitter handles are spreading rumours related to the government's destruction of the crop.
Varanasi District Magistrate, Kaushal Raj Sharma stated, "The event is being organised only after offering fair compensation to the farmers."
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