LAKHIMPUR KHERI, April 24 -- Even as fuel supplies continued to reach petrol pumps across the district on Friday and authorities reiterated that stocks of petrol and diesel were adequate in Lakhimpur Kheri, rumours of a post-election price hike continued to drive panic buying, with consumers queuing up at retail outlets.

The rush was more pronounced in rural areas, where farmers said they urgently needed diesel to irrigate sugarcane and other crops. The surge in demand led to large crowds at several petrol pumps, while others ran out of stock within hours.

Seeking to allay fears, district supply officer (DSO) Anjani Kumar Singh said that as of Friday, petrol pumps in the district had 2,141 kilolitres of diesel and 1,575 kilolitres of pe...