Talks on the new contract started on 5 January 1960. The farmers’ representatives were K.S. Reddy, P.G. Shankar, Ram Niwaz, Ranga Reddy and S.M. Koya, representing the Maha Sangh, Ram Swami Pillay, Shankaran Nair and Ram Narain representing a second faction of the Maha Sangh, Shiu Dutt, Biryam Singh, Bechu Prasad, Y. Subramaniam and A.D. Patel representing the Vishal Sangh, Vijay R. Singh and Girwar Prasad representing the Labasa Kisan Sangh, and J.P. Bayly, Shiu Nath, Abdul Gani and Ayodhya Prasad representing the Kisan Sangh. The united front did not last as the two Kisan Sanghs accepted the contract offered by the Company while the Maha Sanghs and Vishal Sangh opposed it and called their members out on strike. There were many cases of intimidation, damage to property burning of sugar cane. The crushing of sugar cane which normally begins in May was delayed until October and the growers suffered huge losses. Security forces were called out to break the strike. A Commission of Inquiry was set up and the growers were obliged to accept a contract that protected the millers from any financial risk and left the farmers with a worse outcome than they had had in the last contract.