Chandigarh, Sep 8 - A 'peaceful' agitation by 30,000 farmers from Punjab Tuesday held Chandigarh to ransom during the peak evening rush hour - leading to large-scale violence that left scores injured, among them 35 policemen.

The farmers were holding a rally to protest the Punjab government's move to allow unbundling of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB). Farmers in Punjab enjoy free power, all of which is subsidised by the state government.

A farmer, Jagsir Singh of Bathida district in south-west Punjab, was killed when he fell from a bus and was crushed under its wheels.

Chandigarh's Inspector General of Police (IG) S.K. Jain told reporters Tuesday evening that the 30,000-strong agitating farmers resorted to unproved violence around 5 p.m.

'They attacked the police personnel with bricks, stones and liquor bottles. We had put up nearly 20,000 police personnel to manage four agitations taking place in the city today. While the other three passed off peacefully, this one became violent,' he said.

The violence led to total chaos in a five square km area in the heart of Chandigarh as thousands of vehicles were stranded in traffic jams as roads were blockeed following the agitation and the violence. The violence spot is close to the inter-state bus terminus in Sector 17, the city's main commercial hub.

The road in front of the Sector 16 Cricket Stadium, the home ground of legendary cricketer Kapil Dev, resembled a battleground with damaged vehicles, which included cars and two wheelers, and stones, liquor bottles, bricks and shoes lying scattered.

Jain said that five inspectors, one deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and one superintendent of police (SP) were injured in the attack by the farmers.

'Two of the inspectors are in a serious condition in hospital.