MIRPURKHAS, March 16: Nearly 200 sugarcane growers laid a siege to the Mirpurkhas Sugar Mills here on Tuesday in protest against non-payment ofdues by the mill management.

A heavy police contingent rushed to the spot to prevent any untoward incident. Speaking to protesters, the representatives of growers, Rais Ahmed Khan and others, said Rs250 million were outstanding against the mill owners as arrears, which the management was reluctant to pay.

They warned that if the dues were not cleared they would force their way into the mill. Later, negotiations were held between the protesters' leaders, mill management and police officials.

It was decided that two-week payment would be made by March 18, and another two-week payment of February would on made on March 26. It was also decided that a meeting would be held on March 31 between the growers' representatives and mill management for the remaining payment under chairmanship of the Mirpurkhas EDO to decide the final date of payment of the remaining dues.

CLAIM REFUTED: Landlord Laung Khan Chandio has refuted the claim of the police that they had freed 26 bonded peasants from his custody. In a press statement issued on Tuesday, he said that during the police raid on his village, he informed the police that Nowo, Manglo, Rasingo, Pappoo, Taggo and others had gone missing from his land after obtaining payment and added that they had also filed petitions with the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad, and Mirpurkhas sessions judge, but were rejected by the courts.

Mr Chandio claimed that he showed the copies of the high court orders on the petition to the police, but instead they took away his peasants, threatening him of implication in false cases.

The landlord said that the police had nominated him, his son and other villagers in false cases and demanded of the chief minister, governor and provincial police chief to order judicial inquiry into the matter. He also demanded that the arrested people of his village should be released.