Tension abounds Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur after the death of 5 protesting farmers. On Wednesday, as the District Collector went to placate protesters, he was slapped and chased away. Swantra Singh had visited the site where agitators are protesting with the dead body of one of the farmers killed in yesterday’s firing.
Notably, the authority firmly denies the involvement of police forces in the incident.
Agitated over the delay in administration’s attention, farmers in Madhya Pradesh are demanding remunerative payments for their produce and a loan waiver. Protestors, who misbehaved today, were taken to the Superintendent of Police (SP). Protestors demanded the presence of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to address their issues.
demanding better prices in the drought-ravaged region that recorded a farm suicide every five hours in 2016-17.
The killing of farmers:
At least 5 protesting farmers were killed in an open firing on Tuesday after which Mandsaur has been in a state of unrest. Furious farmers raided and set aflame a police outpost after the firing. This is when the authority clamped curfew on Pipalia town, the nucleus of violence, rushed extra forces. Adapting similar strategy as they would in any other conflicted area, they withdrew internet services to cut down on social media rumours fanning violence.
Notably, farmers in western Madhya Pradesh are protesting since June 1 demanding higher minimum support prices (MSP) among others.
Authority’s response:
The BJP government has forthwith denied the charges of open firing on the farmers. “Police have told me that neither did they fire nor did they have any orders to fire”, said the District Collector. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh, who has announced a compensation of to Rs 1 crore each to the families of deceased, has blamed the opposition Congress for instigating the violence.
Different statements have been coming from cabinet leaders and the police regarding the firing.
As per NDTV reports, Home Minister Bhupendra Singh said that the police did not shoot at the crowd in Mandsaur and claimed that some anti-social element could be behind the move. Again, a senior official, Ujjain Division Commissioner OM Jha said, “Around 2 pm, in order to control the agitated farmers, the police had to open fire in which two farmers died and several others were injured.”
Oppositions slams Shivraj’s government:
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has decided to visit the violence-hit district on Wednesday. Congress has also given a call for bandh today across the state to protest the farmers’ death in Mandsaur.
Lashing out at Shivraj’s government, Rahul Gandhi said that it is at war with farmers and “feeding” them with bullets for demanding their rights.
“This government is at war with the farmers of our country. In BJP’s new India, farmers demanding their rights get bullets in return,” he said in a tweet.
The Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Ajay Singh, demanded the resignation of Chouhan, saying the incident of firing in Mandsaur is shameful for a chief minister who claims to be a farmer’s son.
“All the claims of the chief minister have proved false so far. Now the government is using bullets to suppress farmers’ voice. Chouhan should resign immediately,” the Congress leader said.
Senior Congress leader and MP Jyotiraditya Scindia also condemned the incident saying, “This is a black day in the history of the state. It is shameful that the state government is crushing farmers’ agitation. Farmers’ demands are genuine,”
The Aam Aadmi Party has also demanded the resignation of Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the deaths of six persons in the farmers’ agitation in the state.
