Bhubaneswar, June 27 -- Tension over paddy procurement tokens intensified in Odisha's Bargarh district on Saturday after a farmer arrived at a protest carrying a bottle of poison, alleging that he had yet to receive a token to sell his paddy.

Hundreds of farmers from different parts of the district staged a demonstration outside the District Registrar of Cooperative Societies (DRCS) office, demanding the immediate issuance of procurement tokens.

The protest comes despite the state government extending the paddy procurement deadline from June 30 to July 3.

Among the protesters was Kandarpa Barik, a farmer from Banjipali village under Bhatli block, who held up a bottle of poison during the demonstration.

"I have loans to repay. People a...